In arguing for charter schools today, Matt Bevin said the following to lawmakers in the Kentucky House,
"I'm personally disgusted by the fact that the people who oppose this so adamantly continue at every turn ... to be passionate about what? About power. About money. About the transfer of dollars."
Really, Governor? You’re disgusted by people who oppose charter schools? Really? Well let me share with you what I am disgusted by.
I’m disgusted by a Governor who speaks in generalizations and hyperbole and seeks to completely tear down anyone who isn’t 100% in support of his views.
I’m disgusted by a Governor who calls the excellent school system my daughter has spent 10 years in a “disaster." JCPS has challenges, problems, and areas of concern just like any large urban district. But it is far from a "disaster."
I’m disgusted by a Governor who feels that because he doesn’t send his own kids to our local public schools, his voice should be louder than the parents of the 101,000 who do.
I’m disgusted by a Governor who appoints numerous people to his Department of Education who have ZERO experience as educators and who didn't send their kids to public schools.
I’m disgusted by Kentucky’s education secretary, Hal Heiner, who has used deliberate distortion of JCPS data to support his pet cause of charter schools.
I’m disgusted by the fact that none of the charter forces can explain what exactly is causing poor performance in our public schools, nor how their magical fix of charter schools will address those issues.
I’m disgusted by the fact that none of the charter forces seem willing to provide any transparency into their groups or their own personal interests in charters, private schools, or educational companies.
I’m disgusted by continued attacks on dedicated public school teachers, their abilities, and their motivations.
I’m disgusted that two out-of-state multibillionaires can pour money into our state in an attempt to undermine my daughter’s education.
I’m disgusted that Representative Robert Benvenuti criticizes Fayette County Public schools for hiring a lobbyist, while Americans For Prosperity lobbyist Julia Crigler sits by your side and spouts the Koch Brother's garbage agenda in support of charters.
I'm disgusted that our GOP representatives fast-tracked this bill with little transparency. I wonder what they were afraid of?
I’m disgusted by you and your GOP friends talking about your love for teachers, while simultaneously attacking the unions they belong to as not having our children’s interests at heart. Are you saying that you really love the teachers but somehow they become evil once they join an organization devoted to helping protect their interests, which seem to dovetail nicely with my daughter’s educational interests? I know what motivates my daughter's teachers. Can you tell me what motivates the Koch brothers? Or, since your kids won't be attending these charter schools, what motivates you?
I’m disgusted by continual misinformation, anonymous anecdotes, and impressions based on forty year old assumptions being used to tear down Jefferson County Public Schools.
I'm disgusted by the business organizations and business leaders who play lipservice to supporting JCPS but have worked behind the scenes to undermine the system via lobbying for legislation and supporting elected officials with shadowy PACs.
I’m disgusted by representatives voting for the “choice” of charters also voting for a neighborhood schools bill that effectively eliminates current choices we had in Jefferson County schools.
I'm disgusted that you keep touting charters as "innovative" while having no understanding of the innovative ways in which our public schools and teachers are educating our children.
I’m disgusted by politicians who don’t seek to understand or gain information about how the bills they propose will impact the constituents they serve.
I’m disgusted that the blame for kids who aren’t performing is continually placed on schools, teachers, and public systems without any politician ever bothering to understand the myriad of factors that play into learning outcomes.
I’m disgusted at the attempts to compare private and public schools as an apples to apples comparison.
I’m disgusted by the attempt to portray education as a marketplace in which closing a school is seen as a sign the system works.
I'm disgusted by politicians who think there is no downside to closing schools that need help.
I’m disgusted by politicians who ignore the role that a lack of opportunity, affordable housing, and other economic factors that impact our families has in educational outcomes.
I’m disgusted that you refuse to meet anyone from my daughter’s school system, but you had no problem meeting with an anti-abortion group who disrupted my daughter’s middle and high school by obstructing access to the school and deliberately forcing shocking imagery and bigoted messages on them.
I’m disgusted that you seem to spend your days looking for kids and teachers to take selfies with, but spend your legislative time working to undermine them.
I’m disgusted by the amount of money in politics spent supporting the agendas of wealthy men and women like yourself to attack institutions none of you will ever use or have more than passing knowledge of.
I’m disgusted by the attacks on science, reason, logic, factual information, and the separation of church and state by the party you belong to.
I’m disgusted that my own daughter sees a limited future, if any at all in the state where she was born.
I’m disgusted that this same fact seems true for so many of the brightest and best in Kentucky.
And finally, I'm disgusted that I had to write any of this. Because here's the thing, Governor Matt Griswold Bevin, my passion is not about power, money, or the transfer of dollars. It's about doing the right thing for the public education institutions that have served my daughter and me extremely well in both of our lives. And it's a passion that won't end just because of the actions of you or any of your supporters today.