Our friends at Save Our Schools Cowley County hosted an showing of Bill Moyers’ “The United States of ALEC” (http://billmoyers.com/episode/united-states-of-alec/). Do you know who ALEC is? If not, watch the episode. Here’s the writeup from the Winfield Courier.
“Seaton stated that ALEC is working for alternatives to public education. One way is through pushing for charter schools and privatized education…A law currently making its way through the Kansas Legislature, HB 2457, being shepherded by Rep. Kasha Kelley, R-Arkansas City, seeks to increase corporate tax credits for those giving scholarships to students attending private schools.
“One audience member mentioned that the state cannot constitutionally give money to religious schools, and she worried about maintaining the separation of church and state.
“Removing the right to due process from public school teachers is another issue promoted by ALEC and discussed by the panel.
Taking away the power of unions is a long-term goal of ALEC, according to both the video and the information booklet provided. Undoing due process is a way to divide teachers and school boards to undermine the power of both.
“Hogan noted that both the Winfield and Arkansas City school districts are maintaining teachers’ right to due process.
Reducing teachers’ union power is a means of reducing the power of public education by diminishing the power of the teachers’ voices, she said.
“Hargrove spoke about being at the statehouse when the bill undoing teachers’ right to due process was defeated. She said hundreds of teachers were onsite to speak against the bill. Yet they could not prevail with the Legislature.
“One audience member suggested voters should not support legislators or would-be legislators who support ALEC. One person said ALEC members need to be “outed.”
Read more here: http://www.winfieldcourier.com/news/article_9caf90e4-d6ad-11e5-9eaa-23995ca1827d.html