DFER and ALEC – A Few Connections
[This is not an April Fools' joke.]
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has been in the news lately for a variety of reasons. Today, Salvador Rizzo at NJ.com wrote about ALEC model legislation in the Garden State. Rizzo correctly notes that Colorado’s SB-191 is now model legislation for ALEC. SB-191 was Colorado State Senator Michael Johnston’s bill, although other parties clearly helped with at least some parts of the bill. Johnston is on DFER-CO’s Advisory Committee. I asked Johnston about his bill becoming ALEC model legislation. “191 is model 4 many orgs as ED is still bipartisan policy area,” was Johnston’s response (via Twitter). That is, more or less, the same answer given by BE4K’s Derrell Bradford in Rizzo’s NJ.com piece.
SB-191 isn’t the only piece of DFER-linked legislation that became model legislation for ALEC. Peter Groff, a “founding member of the DFER-Colorado steering committee and 2008 recipient of DFER’s Education Warrior Award,” sponsored SB-130, the Innovation Schools Act of 2008. That bill is now ALEC’s Innovation Schools and School Districts Act.
Finally, Mickey (Martha) Revanaugh, Vice President of Connections Academy and Private Chair of ALEC’s education task force, contributed $500 to DFER in 2010.
I’m glad to see great Dems like Michael Johnston are influencing ALEC.
If this group (Education Reform Now Advocacy) is associated with ALEC then I understand why I am hearing radio commercials in the Chicago area “zinging” the Chicago Teacher’s Union. Who supports this group (funding)?
Thank you for keeping this information out there.