The charter school idea in the United States was originated in 1974 by Ray Budde, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The first law allowing the establishment of public charter schools was passed in Minnesota in 1991. Federal interest in supporting the development of the charter school movement began in 1993, when President Clinton first proposed the Public Charter Schools Program.
Why do billionaires love charter schools and privatization so much? Capitalists understand, first and foremost, that the labor movement is their primary adversary. School privatization reduces workers’ wages, benefits, and taxes.
There are public and charter schools serving disadvantaged students. They are using data, making curriculum more rigorous, graduating college-ready students, and recruiting great teachers. Bill Gates asked if technology could revolutionize education. The Microsoft-funded School of the Future opened in Philadelphia to find out.
The charter campaign for I-1240 has raised $1.8 million, with $1 million from Bill Gates. But the number of new charters has plummeted despite $440 million a year in federal funding. Maybe it’s their poor academic performance.
Bill Gates spent millions supporting charters, but voters rejected them. The legislature voted to bypass the court to fund charters helping 1,000 students. Nothing was done to increase funding for over 1 million public school students.
Some see Bill Gates as the savior of education. Others see him as a cloistered billionaire who should eradicate polio instead. “We’ve gone far down the track of Bill Gates deciding how our children will be educated,” says Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters.
Charter schools receive state funding based on per pupil revenue, just like traditional public schools. Charter schools are tuition-free public schools accountable for student achievement to their sponsor. The number of charter schools in Colorado continues to grow, with over 260 schools serving students.
Some see charters as the improvement for education, while others view the involvement of billionaires with skepticism. Given the complexity of the issues, understanding varied perspectives is crucial.
The text has been edited to eliminate redundancies and improve conciseness while preserving the key points raised about the charter school debate. If further revisions are needed, please advise.