Is Georgia Ground Zero for School Privatization Movement?

Will $250,000.00 buy a seat at the legislative table? Looking at the bills going into the hopper of the Georgia General Assembly this year, the answer is, "Well, of course it does!"

Citizens United ensured that political contributions =free speech, but some entities have the resources to speak louder on issues affecting the public schools of Georgia. Those groups buying the most access to Georgia's legislators are StudentsFirst, the American Federation for Children, Charter Schools USA, and K12 Inc. (Linked to each group is an article on their agenda or activities in education--there is a certain degree of irony to some of these innocuous-sounding names).

Not only did these entities contribute $1 million to political campaigns in Georgia in 2014, their spending is disproportionately high in our state--well over three times their spending in California and five times what they spent in Florida. [You can explore the chart at followthemoney.org from this link.] 

[Don't worry about North Carolina.  Somehow they managed a negative $4000.00 in donations from these groups.  Maybe someone wised up and returned a donation.]

And who ran the table on these contributions last year?  The Georgia GOP took in a single donation of $250,000.00 from StudentsFirst Georgia.

And where does StudentsFirst Georgia get $250,000.00 to donate to the Georgia GOP? From Sacramento, California.

via the Georgia Government Transparency Campaign Finance Commission 

Georgia has become a target-rich environment for these ALEC-fueled entities and for-profit corporations. 

2014 contributions have borne fruit in 2015 with Governor Nathan Deal ($21,100.00 received) announcing his plan for an Opportunity School District à la Louisana RSD.  Senate Bill 133 sets out the plan for the statewide "Opportunity School District" with the powers to seize schools deemed to be failing with the option to turn them over to for-profit entities, and it found sponsors in Sens Jeff Mullis ($2000.00), Butch Miller ($1000.00) and Lindsey Tippins ($1000.00).

Of note is that more money flowed to the Georgia House where House Bill 243 would divert funds from the state's public schools into "Education Savings Accounts" that could be applied to a variety of expenses, including private school tuition or home school costs. That bill's sponsors racked up contributions from the privateers in 2014: Reps Mark Hamilton ($5750.00), Mike Dudgeon ($4000.00), Mike Glanton ($3500.00).

That is not to say these legislators have been bought or that they are selling their votes to the highest bidder. Moreso, these entities recognize a kindred spirit that will assist their efforts to undermine public education and divert funds from its support.

Georgians need to scrutinize closely the agenda of our legislators and the Georgia GOP when it attracts $1 million in inducements and rewards from groups dedicated to crippling our public schools and subverting the future of our children.