Mo's Public Schools Under Siege: Blunt's Strong Ties To Anti-Public School Funders Questioned

Governor Blunt's 65% Illusion proposal has been harshly criticized by those who care about public education in Missouri.

It has been widely reported that Blunt is merely the mouthpiece for the proposal that actually comes from a DC-based anti-public school group, First Class Education (FCE). FCE is bankrolled by Patrick Byrne, a dot.com millionaire.

It has also been previously reported that Blunt's last campaign benefitted from nearly $200,000 in contributions from the anti-public school, pro-voucher group, All Children Matter (ACM).

However, the ties between Blunt's friends, Patrick Byrne and ACM, have not been previously reported in Missouri.

Last year, outside interests financed an anti-public school ballot measure in Utah that would have siphoned off tax dollars into tax credits for private schools.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, 86% percent of the funding for this attack on the Utah public schools was provided by two sources: ACM and Mr. Patrick Byrne.

In fact, ACM's $ 252,000 combined with $ 50,000 from Overstock.com's Patrick Byrne accounted for 86 percent of the $ 355,000 taken in by Parents for Choice in Education, the main Utah advocate for tuition tax credits for parents who enroll their children in private schools.

Mr. Blunt antipathy for the public schools of Missouri can no longer be hidden beneath a barrage of rhetoric. His association with these groups, whose goal is to destroy the public school system and to replace it with a system of state-funded private schools, is inconsistent with the values and views of the vast majority of Missourians.

Mr. Blunt's allies have acknowledged the need to mask their true goals for political reasons.  In discussing the political benefits of the so-called 65% solution, an FCE memo says:

It says that backing the 65 percent plan will boost Republicans' credibility on education issues and make it easier to build support for charter schools and school vouchers, which "the voting public -- especially suburban, affluent women voters -- view as an abandonment of public education."

Just because Mr. Blunt does not have the courage to openly admit his objectives doesn't mean he should be permitted to continue his charade as the champion of the public schools while he works at every turn to undermine them.

The Missouri press should stop mindlessly reporting Blunt's rhetoric, and should instead report the reality of his anti-public education views.