Corporate Ed Reform in Washington State – All Roads Lead to Gates

Who was the biggest funder of the I-1240 charter school initiative in Washington?

Bill Gates at $3+ million. His foundation is one of the biggest charter school pushers and funders in the nation.

But Gates’ overwhelming financial influence also extends to an array of spin-off, co-opted and interrelated Astroturf organizations, all of which lobbied and pushed for charter schools in Washington, including:

Stand for Children, Inc. – (National, political lobbying enterprise) Funded by the Gates Foundation, see here, here and here.

League of Education Voters / LEV Foundation / A+ Washington / Excellent Schools Now Coalition – Funded by the Gates Foundation, see here, here, here ,and here. (Note: Gates sent another infusion of funds — $1, 499,543 — to LEV and its pro-charter lobbyist subsidiaries (A+ Washington / Excellent Schools Now) in October, right before the election, potentially another contribution to the pro-charter I-1240 bankroll. Is there a reason the amount falls just under the $1.5 million mark?)

LEV Foundation

Date: October 2012

Purpose: to continue public engagement and action project to advance the policies and priorities of A+ Washington through the Excellent Schools Now (ESN) Coalition

Amount: $1,499,543

Term: 2 years and 1 month

Topic: Community Grants

Region Served: Global, North America

Program: United States

Grantee Location: Seattle, Washington

Grantee Web site: http://www.educationvoters.org

(Source: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Grants-2012/Pages/LEV-Foundation-OPP1064347.aspx)

Partnership for Learning – Funded by the Gates Foundation

Alliance for Education – Funded by the Gates Foundation (here and here and here) (Note that Gates channeled funds through the Alliance for Education to the League of Education Voters (LEV). Why was that? Elsewhere he funds LEV directly. Also note that the so-called “Our Schools Coalition” is another fabricated offshoot of the Alliance for Education which is also funded by Gates.)

Alliance for Education

Date: November 2008

Purpose: to support the college-ready curriculum, assessments, data and advocacy elements of Seattle Public Schools’ strategic plan

Amount: $6,929,430

Term: 3 years

Topic: College-Ready Education

Region Served: Global, North America

Program: United States

Grantee Location: Seattle, Washington

Grantee Web site: http://www.alliance4ed.org

(Source: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Grants-2008/Pages/Alliance-for-Education-OPP52309.aspx)

Consequently, despite their misleading names, none of these entities are genuine grassroots, community organizations that represent parents and families of Washington. They are all purveyors (arguably puppets) of the Gates brand of corporate education reform, whose products have proven to be extremely shoddy and downright damaging. Charter schools is one of these “products.”

— sue p.