Tony Bennett
Dr. Tony Bennett is the Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Contents
Connection to ALEC and Right-Wing School Privatization Groups
Dr. Bennett has traveled the country in support of school privatization by voucher, charter schools and online for-profit education. He has appeared on Fox news and has travelled to Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arizona, Utah and California, speaking to a number of right-wing groups including the Fordham Institute, Parents for Choice, and even the American Legislative Exchange Council.
| About ALEC |
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ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve “model” bills. Learn more at the Center for Media and Democracy's ALECexposed.org, and check out breaking news on our ExposedbyCMD.org site.
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The Superintendent has provided no documentation to support his claims that his nationwide travel and speaking engagements have been paid for without taxpayer money, as he claims[1]
Associations with Charter School and Education for Profit Advocates
Dr. Bennett is married to Tina Bennett, who, according to the Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana, "has worked as a consultant for the Indiana Public Charter Schools Association. The IPCSA’s mission is to advocate 'for the charter school movement' and to support 'charter school development and excellence.'"
The Post-Tribune also wrote that "Rex Bolinger, the board chairman of the IPCSA, is an executive for Edicians, a company whose mission is to 'provide quality research based educational services for building private, independent and charter schools.' Edicians also provides 'educational systems management, including provisions for intermediary services between funding agencies and educational program development.'" [2]
The full investigative piece outlining Bennett's connections to for-profit schools and charter schools is available here.
Experience in Education
Bennett was elected in 2008 after serving just one year as the superintendent of Indiana's Greater Clark County School District, a school district with 10,500 students that is one of three in Southern Indiana's Clark County[3]. He earned his Ed. D in 2005, two years before taking his position with Greater Clark County Schools[4]
References
- ↑ Karen Francisco, Fort Way Journal Gazette. State School Chief Popular Headliner Across the Country. January 25 2012.
- ↑ Lee Rademacher, ‘Education reform’ benefits only few. Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana, January 25 2012
- ↑ Greater Clark County Schools, January 25 2012
- ↑ Tara Hettinger, Election '08: Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana January 25, 2012
