K12NN on the MOMocrats Podcast: The Battle in Seattle — Four Women Run for School Board

On Wednesday, September 28, 2011, Karoli and Donna Schwartz Mills joined me for a lively Blog Talk Radio podcast with four women running for school board in Bill Gates’ backyard up in Seattle. Sharon Peaslee, Michelle Buetow, Kate Martin and Marty McLaren have a vision for education in their district, and we’ll hear why it doesn’t completely mesh with that of the Gates and the Broad Foundations’ plans for education reform in America. What’s the difference between what these candidates have to offer and “ed reform” (or as some say, “ed Rheeform”)?

How did the Seattle Public Schools end up with a School Superintendent, Dr. Marie Goodloe-Johnson, who badly mismanaged school district finances? (Read more about graduates of the Broad Superintendent School in the Parents’ Guide to the Broad Foundation. They’re awfully high-flying but seem to run into trouble no matter where they’re posted around the country.)

What needs to be done to get SPS finances on the right track going forward? And what, if any shadow, does the Gates Foundation cast on public schools in its own back yard?

These issues may seem local to Seattle but they’re national in impact. Schools across the country are grappling with the same problems — and it’s no wonder. Gates Foundation money is everywhere, as are Broad Foundation school superintendents.

All four candidates will also appear at The Stranger’s School Board Candidates’ Debate the same evening, Wednesday, September 28, 2011, at the Town Hall in downtown Seattle starting at 7:30 pm PT.