Two hedge fund billionaires dropped $1 million each on a controversial charter school advocacy group in April, the Daily News has learned.
Officials at pro-charter lobbying powerhouse Families for Excellent Schools have declined to name the nonprofit’s funders since it was founded in 2012.
But a July filing with the state’s Joint Commission on Public Ethics shows finance titans Dan Loeb and Julian Robertson both donated a cool million to the group.
...
Both Loeb and Robertson have a history promoting the growth of charter schools, but neither has been directly linked to Families for Excellent Schools until now.
Loeb, who runs an $18 billion investment group called Third Point, is network chair of Success Academy charter schools, the city’s largest charter network.
Chapman goes on to write that the $2 million in cash from Loeb and Robertson "is probably just a fraction of the income the organization will receive in 2015."
And indeed, that's the case.
Families for Excellent Schools has broken lobbying expenditure records in the past (see here) and drops a huge amount of cash on lobbying on a regular basis (see here.)
They've got a lot of money to burn and they use it to help Eva Moskowitz and Success Academies.
Success Academies likes to maintain a distance from Families for Excellent Schools, claiming the two organizations are not linked or coordinating, but that's laughable on its face.
When FES released a race-baiting ad a few weeks ago, Eva Moskowitz of Success was one of the few to defend FES and the ad.
Though FES doesn't reveal its donors, we know at least one of those donors has substantial links to Eva (as Chapman reported, Dan Loeb chairs the SA board.)
And they often seem to coordinate "rallies," with SA students, parents and teachers making up much of the "audience" at the FES political functions (indeed, Eva even closes her schools for these rallies.)
They also coordinate messages, with both FES and Moskowitz hitting on the "De Blasio hurts black children" message in ads, press conferences and newspaper op-eds.
Families for Excellent Schools is the propaganda and political wing of Success Academies, spending millions in cash that appears to be raised from many of the same sources that SA raises its cash from, to promote Eva Moskowitz's political agenda.
The two entities can claim they're not one and the same all they want - with SA chair Dan Loeb revealed as an FES donor as well, we start to see just how closely linked these entities really are.
Bigger news: Just read in the paper that the DOE has indeed applied for a waiver extension to the NYSED in regard to the new evaluation. I for one, am not happy about this as I was looking forward to less obeservations. The million dollar question is to see if Cuomo will allow the waiver. (Considering how much Cuomo and our Mayor are at odds, the results shall be interesting). Does anybody know how long NYSED has to respond to the waiver request?
ReplyDeleteThis article makes sense. Raising its cash to promote Eva Moskowitz's political agenda. Sounds right, I believe that. However, I can say schools aren't exactly "closed down" for rallies.Those are actually longer days, because school hours are shifted. I can see why donors are kept anonymous. Who and WHY is anyone trying to find out who is donating? Also, isn't this for a positive and better cause? There are children at stake. The children are actually learning, becoming articulate and well rounded. New York City has some disgusting and dangerous schools. The Success schools have great structure. Let them be.
ReplyDeleteHey who ever you are with your ridiculous post wake up and smell the shit cause thats what all these hedge fund managers and bull crap charter schools are throwing at weak links like yourself. The fact that the entire charter school smoke and mirror bull shit is preying on the weak who are no nothings with kids....NYC public schools are a great opportunity for all kids of this great city but the fact of the matter is that the students that walk through the scanners of all our schools with no home life, no money, no love, no skills are washing, no regard to anything of value as kids sit all over cars in the street with their book bags...which are usually empty except for maybe a hat or some weapon....these are the facts....nyc school teachers arrive at nyc schools ready to give to the kids but the realities are that these kids who are mostly from distant cultures are not interested in school or education let alone respecting teachers...the charters are serving a select few and the charters as well all know weed out the smelly kids so they can go to the fake news outlets and promote how great they are/did....just like the toddler who says look daddy what i did.....so, to all the charter school people who are working so hard to dismantle our public schools, take a hike stop spending all this money cause we all know how tricks are made using smoke and mirrors.....let them be..i dont think so
DeleteLet them be and continue to offer big tax credits to donors like Loeb and Robertson. Tax credits not tax deductions that are given to the peons. Why else would hedge funders, and other 1%ers be lining up to toss their money into the ring?
ReplyDeleteIt's a scam 8:17am. A very big scam that goes right to the core of the destruction of the shred of democracy that still breathes in this country.