Koch Network Infiltration of Public Schools 'Harms Students, Teachers, and Our Democracy': Report

[CousinIT]

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/08/11/koch-network-infiltration-public-schools-harms-students-teachers-and-our-democracy

A new report published Wednesday reveals how the Koch network—a shadowy group of wealthy capitalists acting to push the U.S. in a more conservative direction—is methodically working to undermine and privatize public education for financial gain.

"The Koch network has financed local, state, and national mechanisms to create multiple crises, only to turn around and cite these same crises as reasons to adopt their free market solutions."
—UnKoch My Campus

The report (pdf), entitled The Koch Network and the Capture of K-12 Education, was compiled by the advocacy groups UnKoch My Campus and Save Our Schools Arizona (SOSAZ) and examines tactics employed by the plutocrats' cabal—which is led by billionaire Charles Koch, and whose members pay at least $100,000 per year—"to destabilize and abolish public education."

"In order to influence K-12 public education, the Koch network has financed local, state, and national mechanisms to create multiple crises, only to turn around and cite these same crises as reasons to adopt their free market solutions," according to UnKoch My Campus.

"The Koch network has made no secret about the critical role that public education plays as an ideal arena for influencing U.S. policy and culture," the group says in an introduction to the report. "Through a variety of tactics—charter schools, vouchers, curriculum, textbooks, trainings, using state politicians to engage in culture war against progressive ideas, and more—the Koch network is able to ensure the spread of their ideas, including climate disinformation and free market-favoring economics philosophy."

According to the report, the Koch network's tactics include:

Supporting the seating of state legislators who intentionally defund public education;
Destabilizing state funding in schools to promote policies that divert funds away from traditional public schools to charter schools, private schools, and online education under the guise of "school choice"

. . .

[hookaleft]

1. Koch tentacles everywhere.

[XanaDUer2]

2. what can we do?

this terrifies me

[BoomaofBandM]

3. Betsy Davis was planned.

[lindysalsagal]

4. Been going on for decades.

Money. It's the American way.