Notes From the Field
Submitted by Frank Murphy, Jan 4, 2011
During the winter break a teacher forwarded to me a post from the Labor Notes. It is an interesting piece that details the author’s claim that Bill Gates, and Eli Broad are leading a group of wealthy individuals who are attempting to eliminate organized opposition to their plans for America’s public schools. According to this article the attention of these billionaires has recently been focused on squashing teacher resistance in Chicago.
On June 12, 20010 the leadership of the Chicago Teacher Union was assumed by candidates from the CORE (Caucus of Rank and File Educators) union slate. CORE was one of five groups that sought control of this union local. In a run off election, they defeated the incumbent United Progressive Caucus headed by Marilyn Stewart. The result of the Chicago teacher election suggests a new direction for teacher unionism.
The Caucus of Rank and File Educators are loudly signaling their dissatisfaction with the free market school reform efforts of nouveau educational experts such as Eli Broad and Bill Gates. The influence exerted by these billionaire philanthropists on national, state and local elected officials, has created considerable havoc on our nation’s public schools. In Chicago, the newly elected leadership of the Chicago Teachers Union adamantly opposes the Renaissance 2010 plan of Chicago’s Mayor Richard M. Daley that has resulted in school closings, teacher firings, and privatization of educational services.
The response of the powerful to CORE’s opposition to their school reorganization plans has been swift. In October of 2010, a political action group called Stand for Children (SFC) made contributions of $600,000 to key Illinois legislative races. SFC is an organization committed to promoting education policies and practices that place blame on teachers for societal problems that are beyond their ability to control. Just like the wealthy men who are driving much of today’s school reforms, SFC also favors tying teacher compensation and job security to student test scores. The extensive use of standardized tests, managed instruction programs and diversion of public funds to charter schools and contract services, all are important objectives for this organization. Bill Gates gave close to $3.5 million to Stand For Children in 2010.
Two recipients of SFC’s contributions are members of a legislative committee that is proposing radical new legislation that will affect teachers in every public school district in the state of Illinois. Should their proposals be enacted into law, teachers in Illinois will find themselves in a difficult position. They will have little say over many aspects of their working conditions. Their future employment as teachers could be easily terminated on the basis of questionable standards and the level of protection provided to them by their union will be virtually non-existent.
The expenditure of large sums of money by the Stand For Children’s PAC in order to influence the outcome of legislative races in Illinois is quite similar to the efforts of the Wynnewood-based PAC that donated millions of dollars to the failed gubernatorial bid of Pennsylvania state legislator, Anthony Williams. Both of these cases are illustrative of the methods being employed by a small group of wealthy individuals who are determined to reshape the educational policies and governance of American public education. They are intent on using the might of their money to force their ideas on schools and school districts. They do not welcome the insistence for public dialogue and democratic decision-making being made by groups such as CORE. The willingness of the new leadership of the Chicago teachers union to speak up and take a stand on the direction of educational reform in our nation is apparently an intolerable option to those who want to pull the strings of public policy.
The media either villainizes or completely ignore those who dare to oppose the agenda of these school reform puppet masters. Teachers who don’t buy into the plan to turn our schools over to corporate control are described as greedy self-interested individuals who don’t put the needs of children first. It can be an intimidating experience for a teacher to confront such power
The members of CORE face a difficult future as they work to defend the belief that our public schools belong to all of us. This is not their fight alone. Every public school teacher is a participant in this battle. We all have a responsibility to make our voices heard in the national debate concerning the future of our school systems
The chances are slim that what we have to say will be reported in the media. It is unlikely that a movie will be made that portrays public school teachers in a positive light. But in small ways we can make ourselves heard. This is what the teacher who sent me the article from the Labor News did. She spoke up, even though it was only to one other person. When hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of teachers do the same the world will hear us in a big way.
Teachers may not have the might of the wealthy but they do have the power of their ideas.