Vote NO! on Initiative 729 (Charter Schools)

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RESPONSE


From: Barbara Mertens
To: gparrish@seatttleweekly.com
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2000 3:35 PM
Subject: Initiative 729

I thoroughly enjoyed your article "Political Education".  I thought you might be interested in viewing the "No!"I-729 website at www.i729.org   You are right--we are small.  So far our total budget is $1,500.  Even so, we do have a message and we're not giving up without a fight.
 
For example, Paul Allen does stand to profit from I-729.  The "applicant" board for a charter school must be a non-profit organization.  However,  the initiative specifically allows these boards to CONTRACT with any public or private entity...for any and all real property, equipment, goods, supplies, and services including educational INSTRUCTIONAL services. (That's the Edison Schools, INC.) I-729 New Section Sec.3.(2).
 
I am the Assistant Executive Director for the Washington Association of School Administrators.  We have a separate PAC Board (WSA-PAC) which voted to contribute $1,000 from our meager budget to use as seed money to get the opposition message out --knowing full well that we could never raise $2M and even if we did Allen would throw in another $2M or more. Even though we may not agree with your position on the initiative--your point about buying elections is extremely important.  Thank you for bringing it to the attention of the public.
  


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