PA: Democrats MIA On Education

So, the Pennsylvania Democrats have a survey out, because they want to like listen and stuff, asking what folks think are the most important issues. If you take a look at it, you might notice that something didn't make the list-- not the "which issues are most important list" and not the "what issue do you wish Democrats talked more about" list. And that would be education.

Sigh.

"I'm sorry. What?"

Meanwhile, this morning Caitlin Emma reports that DFER (Democrats [sic] fort Education Reform) plans to pump $4 million dollars into races in support of Democrats who support education reform (or who support public school, but whose support is judged malleable enough to suit DFER). DFER, you may recall, is the ultimate "in name only" package of hedge funders who want to privatize education. Their resemblance to actual Democrats is suspect enough that Colorado Democrats asked DFER to get the D out of their name. Now DFER is planning to dump some money into the Colorado gubernatorial race to back the candidate that education supporters tried to beat in the primaries. They also plan to back NY's Andrew Cuomo and the supposed successor to Governor Malloy in Connecticut. And they want to push Marshall Tuck as state school superintendent in California; Tuck is an excellent example of how Democrats can end up as darlings of the right wing by supporting the privatization of public education.

If all of that seems to conflict with the agenda of education progressives, DFER has a solution-- just redefine what "education progressive" means. Charter schools are about civil rights, and if you strand in their way, you're just like George Wallace. DFER, on the other hand, sides with Obama and Duncan and King and Rosa Parks.

Meanwhile, later this week ALEC is getting together for one of its lobbyist, profiteer and legislator shmoozefests. Highlights will include a Thursday keynote by lawsuit façade Janus and a session on "Ed Choice In a Challenging Environment."(Part of the track "Restoring the Balance of Government") The session will be hosted by Romy Drucker, CEO of The 74 (just in case you still wondered whether they had picked a side or not) with EdChoice CEO Robert Enlow discussing how you can "deflect the mistruths and correct the myths" when this "awkward water cooler topic" comes up.

So lots of folks have their sights set on education. There are individual Democrats who are supporting public education, but the party itself seems MIA. Folks who prefer to defend and improve public education, folks who intend to demand that all public education be properly funded and supported-- those folks should make it a point to speak up.