The Koch brothers continue to operate behind the scenes, and it's rare that anyone writes about them anymore.
Until yesterday.
Two reporters from the Arizona Republic published an article on how the Koch Brothers are attempting to destroy public education in Arizona.
"Public education advocates continue a decades-long battle with a “dark money” network that influences our state legislators, contributes to the destabilization of public school funding, continues to proliferate the damaging school voucher system it created and attempts to capture the curriculum taught to our students.
The Koch network’s mission to infiltrate public education across the country for their own benefit began in earnest in Arizona in the mid-1990s, showing what happens when we capitulate to the harmful impacts of their influence.
The Koch network has made no secret about the critical role that public education plays at influencing U.S. policy and culture. Through a variety of tactics, the Koch network spreads sympathetic ideas, including climate disinformation and racially unjust and extractive economic philosophy.
In 2012, the Koch network poured nearly $1 million into defeating a ballot measure that would have added a billion dollars to K-12 funding, which could have helped purchase much needed educational equipment and supplies, as well as give teachers a raise.
Gov. Doug Ducey received $1.4 million from the Koch brothers in his 2014 campaign and, along with many Arizona state legislators, continues to receive contributions from the Koch network to ensure these trends continue.
Over the years, the state pursued model bills created by the Koch-funded organization American Legislative Exchange Council. It was one of the first states to adopt a corporate tax break for private schools and implemented, then expanded school vouchers known as Empowerment Scholarship Accounts – a program created and heavily lobbied for by the Koch-funded Goldwater Institute.
The Koch network’s efforts to dismantle public schools has made a significant impact: Arizona continues to have among the lowest per pupil spending, among the lowest averages for teacher pay and some of the largest class sizes on average in the nation.
Where the Koch network did succeed, however, was with the inclusion of anti-Critical Race Theory rhetoric that made its way into the budget legislation that won approval.
Now, schools can be fined upwards of $5,000 and individual teachers could potentially lose their license for even broaching “controversial” subjects, or teaching that students’ race, ethnicity or sex determines their character. The legislation bans “any instruction that infers that one race is inherently racist, should be discriminated against or feel guilty because of their race.”"
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2021/08/27/koch-network-undoing-public-education-as-we-know-it/5601067001/?itm_medium=recirc&itm_source=taboola&itm_campaign=internal&itm_content=BelowHomepageFeed-FeedRedesign
Yesterday, on Facebook, an ad from Americans for Prosperity (another Koch-funded organization) supported Senator Sinema in her resistance to eliminating or modifying the filibuster.