“The whole idea of school choice … is credited to the extreme libertarian Freedman Foundation.” under the premise that school “reconstruction can only be achieved by privatizing a major segment of the educational system – i.e. by enabling a private, for-profit industry to develop … a wide variety of learning opportunities and offer effective competition to public schools.”
- The Walmartization of Public Education – Washington Post
Five Reasons Why Ross Valley Charter is Part of Betsy DeVos’ Privatization Agenda
1) Big Corporate Privatization Money Funds Ross Valley Charter
Ross Valley Charter is funded by two of the nation’s largest education privatizers - Walton (aka Walmart) Family Foundation ($325K), Hastings (aka NetFlix) Fund ($150).
2) Major, Well-connected Charter Advocate Sits on the Board
Board member Kristi Kimball is Executive Director of the Schwab Foundation, and sits on the California Charter Schools Association board with Walton Family Foundation Board Chair (Carrie Walton Penner) and its Education Coalition Director (Joe Williams). Click here to see all the connections and read our blog about “Who’s Really Backing Ross Valley Charter?”.
3) Facilities Litigation – Fits Right in with Walton 2020 Strategic Plan
Young Minney & Corr “The Charter Law Firm” is RVC’s legal counsel in its Prop 39 law suit against our school District. This legal action fits right in with one of the Walton Foundation’s billion-dollar funding campaign strategies to support facility acquisition initiatives such as RVC’s push to acquire Red Hill. Click here to read more about the WFF strategy “to ensure that innovative charter leaders can secure the facilities and facilities financing they need to serve students.”
4) Member of Largest Charter School Advocacy Organization in California
Ross Valley Charter is a member of, and staff attend conferences and professional development workshops produced by, the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) –the principal lobbying, marketing, and support service provider for the CA Charter movement.
5) “In Line with Our Core Beliefs” Says Charter Leadership
According to a recent IJ article (4/18), RVC believes that the Charter movements agenda is “in line with our core beliefs.” Hickey, the RVC Treasurer, noted that www.Kidsnotprofits.org could be dismissed as just fear over competition, that corporate donors were not looking to destroy public education, and that private individuals operating school sites, rather than publicly elected boards, should be “empowered to make our own decisions,” in how to spend our public education tax dollars.
To read more about the DeVos Privitization agenda, the Walton Family Foundation and the Hasting Fund, check out some of these news articles.
RVC is closely and directly tied to dark money and privatization-motivated groups and individuals. To see a graphic illustration of how RVCharter is connected to this web of big money privatizers click here.