ALEC introduced 131 education bills in 43 states in the first half of 2013. 31 became law.
ALEC-influenced bills introduced in 2013 include legislation to:
Create or expand taxpayer-funded voucher programs, using bills such as the "Parental Choice Scholarship Act" (introduced in three states). Under many state constitutions, the use of public dollars to fund religious institutions has been rejected on separation-of-powers grounds, but the ALEC Great Schools Tax Credit Act, introduced in ten states in 2013, bypasses state constitutional provisions and offers a form of private school tuition tax credits that funnel taxpayer dollars to private schools with even less public accountability than with regular vouchers.
Carve-out vouchers for students with special needs, regardless of family income, through the "Special Needs Scholarship Program Act" (introduced in twelve states), which sends vulnerable children to for-profit schools not bound by federal and state legal requirements to meet a student's special needs, as public schools must. A proposal in Wisconsin would have allocated up to $14,658 to a for-profit school for each special needs student.
Send taxpayer dollars to unaccountable online school providers through the "Virtual Schools Act," introduced in three states, where a single teacher remotely teaches a "class" of hundreds of isolated students working from home. The low overhead for virtual schools certainly raises company profits, but it is a model few educators think is a appropriate for young children.
Offer teaching credentials to individuals with subject-matter experience but no education background with the Alternative Certification Act, introduced in seven states. The bill is part of ALEC's ongoing effort to undermine unionized workers and promote a race to the bottom in wages and benefits for American workers.
Create opportunities to privatize public schools or fire teachers and principals via referendum with the controversial Parent Trigger Act (glorified in the flop film "Won't Back Down"
, introduced in twelve states. First passed in California, a modified Parent Trigger bill was brought to ALEC in 2010 by the Illinois-based Heartland Institute, which is perhaps best known for controversial billboards comparing people who believe in climate change to mass murderers like the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
Create an appointed, state-level charter school authorizing board through the Next Generation Charter Schools Act, introduced in seven states, which effectively shields charters from democratic accountability. The legislation "would wrest control from school boards, and likewise from the community that elects those school boards," Mead says, since it takes away their power to authorize charters in the community.
http://prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12175/cashing-kids139-alec-bills-2013-promote-private-profit-education-model
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