Walton Family Foundation granted $1.05 million towards GA charter schools in 2011

The total amount of Walton family affiliate money backing the Georgia charter school referendum is far larger than Alice Walton's $250,000.

In the Walton Family Foundation's list of 2011 Education Reform Grants, there are two Georgia organizations:

Georgia Charter Schools Association Inc.	700,000
Georgia Family Education and Research Council, Inc.	350,000

GCSA has made the news quite a bit lately, and its name makes its purpose pretty clear. According to the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), GCSA is a NACSA member. You remember NACSA, the organization that Zaid Jilani discovered was an ALEC member, and that bailed out of ALEC two days later. That was in May 2012, after the Georgia legislature passed the bill putting the charter school referendum on the ballot.

Georgia Family Education and Research Council, Inc. (GFERC) is slightly less obvious. According

to Manta.com GFERC has apparently shortened its name to Georgia Family Council. GFC's website includes this item from 20 March 2012 Legislature Passes Charter School Constitutional Amendment!

Thanks to everyone who supported this important school choice effort by contacting their legislators, rallying at the Capitol, and visiting their legislators.

That makes GFC's position pretty clear.

So the total invested by Walton family affiliates in organizations that are backing the charter school amendment is apparently at least Alice Walton's $250,000 plus the Walton Family Foundation's $700,000 to GCSA and $350,000 to the Georgia Family Council, for at least $1.3 million. At least, because there may be others in that Walton Family Foundation list that don't have Georgia in their name. That's at least $1.3 million towards letting an unappointed board in Atlanta privatize our public schools and spend our local tax dollars to pay more per student to charter schools than to public schools. With much of that $1.3 million in the hands of many of the same people who pushed the T-SPLOST tax on the July primary ballot.

Who would you rather have controling your public school tax dollars: Wal-Mart heirs, or your local school boards? Vote No on the charter school amendment in November.

-jsq