Re: Austin's 'Put power over California's schools in hands of parents'

From: Robert D. Skeels
Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 9:19 AM
To: Nick.Goldberg@latimes.com, Sue.Horton@latimes.com, howard.blume@latimes.com, russ.stanton@latimes.com, ana.mata@latimes.com, reshaffer@csupomona.edu, rdsathene@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Re: Austin's 'Put power over California's schools in hands of parents'

Editorial Staff:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-austin16-2009dec16,0,3809285.story

Anyone wonder how much power Green Dot/LAPU/PR has? The Los Angeles Times has rejected countless op-eds criticizing the charter-voucher establishment from people like Prof. Shaffer, myself, and others. However, when charter-voucher power-broker Ben Austin wants to vent about not being able to subvert democratic processes in Sacramento, he has no trouble getting published.

Moreover, the usual fact checking editors subject op-eds to are not applicable. Austin gets away with blatant lying when he says "50% of kids in L.A. public schools aren't graduating" once again, despite the fact the the Los Angeles Times has recently printed the truth about this outrageous erroneous statistic. (http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/04/local/me-lausd-dropout4). In the biased, overtly pro charter-voucher Los Angeles Times Austin can play fast and loose with the facts. I'm not accusing the Los Angeles Times of scare tactics here, but why isn't Austin held to even a modicum of honesty?

Moreover, no mention that Parent Revolution is a subsidiary of Green Dot? No mention that Austin is also an Assistant City Attorney? He can get away with saying "I've been advocating school reform for years" (more like 19 months), without mentioning his six figure salary as compensation for doing so?

I'm certain that if any of us in the progressive pro-public education community submitted an op-ed criticizing the "corporate charter trigger" language that Green Dot sycophant politicians like Sen. Gloria Romero are trying to sneak in, it would be promptly rejected.

I understand Eli's money stacks the deck in the corporate charter-voucher establishments' favor. I understand the Los Angeles Times has little interest in presenting all sides of these issues, but could you at least insist corporate hacks like Austin tell the truth in their bombastic fact-free rants?