In Jefferson County, Colorado, a major victory has been won against the Koch Brothers, Americans for Prosperity, and the privatization of education.
Grassroots organizations in Jefferson County recently came together in order to oppose a school board decision which was heavily influenced by a flood of money from Americans for Prosperity.
The school board had previously voted to impose a “new history curriculum, new restrictions on teachers’ job security, and more privately-operated charter schools.” An outpouring of protest from students, teachers, parents, and community members demanded an election, resulting in a major recall of board members in favor of more progressive-minded candidates.
“The success of this recall has been a true testament to what grassroots can accomplish,” Jefferson County parent activist Jonna Levine said. “We sent a strong message that community can win over big corporate machines like the Koch Brothers.”
“All the money from the opposition, whether it was dark money or not, that bought ad time on TV and mailed out flyers, could not win over old fashioned conversations,” said another parent Barbara Ferris.
“[Jefferson County] was able to push back against political agendas and outside money because we came together as a community,” parent Kelly Johnson said.
The issue of growing Charter school influence is one that is being dealt with across the nation as many cities voted to oppose the influx of privately owned charter schools in Indianapolis, Jersey City, St. Paul, and others. The victory in Jefferson County is a sign of things to come as the American public shifts away from trusting gigantic corporations and instead focuses on honest grassroots movements.
Read more about this issue at Salon “We kicked the Koch Brothers’ a**: How Denver parents beat back big money, charter schools, right-wing lies.”
