Dark Money and the Politics of School Privatization (2021)

This book goes deep behind the scenes of school privatization campaigns to expose the complex networks of funding that sustain these efforts - often hidden from the view of the public. Using the example of a 2016 Massachusetts charter school referendum, Cunningham shows how wealthy individuals support charter school expansion through so-called "social welfare" organizations, thereby obscuring the true sources of funding while influencing major public policy votes. With vast wealth and a political agenda, foundations have helped to reshape the reform landscape in urban education. -- Provided by publisher Preface 6 Acknowledgments 9 Contents 12 Abbreviations 15 List of Tables 16 1 Introduction: Deceiving Democracy 17 2 The Campaign of 2016 29 2.1 Charter Schools in Massachusetts and Union-Privatizer Proxy Wars 30 2.2 The Charters Campaign of 2014–2016 31 2.3 Messages in Conflict and the Battle Over the Word Public 36 2.4 Dark Money in the Question 2 Campaign 39 2.5 The Politics of the Charters Campaign 45 2.6 Media and Money 47 2.7 Conclusion 49 3 Boardroom Progressives or Rich People’s Movement? 57 3.1 Boardroom Progressives 58 3.2 Rich People’s Movements 66 3.3 Conclusion 72 4 Secret Funders: Oligarchs United 79 4.1 The Walton Family—Outside Money 81 4.2 The Boston Privatizers—Inside Money 84 4.3 Individual Givers 93 4.4 Funding Conduits 94 4.5 Conclusion 95 5 Political Fronts 100 5.1 Umbrella Groups 102 5.2 Political Incubator: Teach for America 116 5.3 Home Grown Advocacy: Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research 119 5.4 Specialty Groups 123 5.5 Conclusion 124 6 Upstream Money and Downstream Money: The Hidden Flow of Funds 130 6.1 What 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) Organizations Can Do 135 6.2 How to Do Politics with a 501(c)(3) 137 6.3 How to Do Politics with a 501(c)(4) 144 6.4 Conclusion 146 7 Democrats for Education Reform and the Inside Job 151 7.1 Ideology 154 7.2 Funding 157 7.3 Leadership 164 7.4 Operations: Dark Money and Anti-Union 165 7.5 Conclusion 175 8 Racial Perceptions, Racial Realities 182 8.1 Grassroots or Astroturf? 186 8.1.1 Signature Gathering 186 8.1.2 Canvassing 189 8.1.3 Phones 191 8.1.4 Mailing 191 8.1.5 Vanishing Volunteers 192 8.2 The Commercialized Campaign 193 8.3 Conclusion 196 9 After 2016: Money Never Sleeps 201 9.1 A Dark Money Post-Mortem 202 9.2 Lessons Learned, Lessons Ignored 212 9.3 Resurrection 221 9.4 Conclusion 232 10 Conclusion: Defeating Dark Money in School Privatization—And Everywhere Else 243 Bibliography 258 Index 285