DFER’s Joe Williams wants to kick our ass.
If you don’t know what DFER is, don’t feel bad.
They hide in the shadows, known only to a deep-pocketed charter promoters, bought-off politicians who are recipients of their largesse and education geeks.
Like me.
A few years back DFER Director Joe Williams wrote that he would kick my ass for writing mean things about them.
But he didn’t. Or couldn’t. Or something.
Anyway, DFER stands for Democrats for Education Reform.
Their idea of a reform agenda means three things: Charter schools. Charter schools. And charter schools.
Democratic Party strategist David Ormsby has circulated a subscription memo that suggests DFER is gearing up for the 2015 Chicago election.
Ormsby reports that DFER has hired hired a Stakeholder Engagement Director, Sean Harden, a former Daley executive assistant. And Owen Kilmer, who worked for the Illinois Democrats and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
Ormsby also says that Democrats for Education Reform has collected $60,500, including $21,000 from the Crown family and $5,000 from Jennifer Steans, the sister of State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago).
The Crowns are also big financial backers of Stand for Children Illinois.
DFER’s Chicago fundraising goal is a million bucks for 2015.
Why would New York-based DFER be so interested in Chicago aldermanic races? The Mayor controls more than 40 of the 50 seats in the Council and the reliably Progressive Caucus numbers aldermen in the single digits.
They will come into Chicago to teach elected officials a lesson: Oppose charters at your peril.
Of course City unions like the SEIU, the CTU and AFSCME also have some money to spend.
Even Ormsby warns, “Democrats for Education Reform will face a formidable challenge outmaneuvering the CTU.”
I’m not sure they care.
It’s not my ass that Joe Williams wants to kick after all.
It’s Chicago’s ass.
Update:
Greg Hinz in Crains also makes reference to the Ormsby report and ties DFER to Obama strategist David Axelrod.
News of the group’s new activity was first reported by David Ormsby in the Illinois Observer, but the group already is being smacked around pretty good by the CTU-affiliated Chicagoans United for Economic Security.
In a statement released late yesterday, the group blasted Democrats for Education Reform for intervening to help what may be the CTU’s top legislative target in the March 11 Democratic primary, state Rep. Christian Mitchell, a South Side Democrat who defied the union in voting for state pension reform last year.
Democrats for Education Reform is a “notorious” group that serves “as a front for financiers that seek to spread charter schools in Chicago,” and even went so far as to try to raise money for Mr. Mitchell and name him its “reformer of the month” in January, according to CTU.
It’s worth noting, though, that among those helping Mr. Mitchell is former top presidential aide David Axelrod, who worked with Mr. Mitchell in the Obama campaign and will hold a fundraiser for him at his home next week.
Fred Klonsky 
Their agenda directly or indirectly also includes busting of teachers unions, pension thefts, loss of funding for public schools, and destruction of free public education nationwide.
Actually I guess you summed it up pretty well, “charter schools” which encompasses ALL OF THE ABOVE!
In regard to Joe Williams–I believe the shape of one’s brain is determined by the shape of one’s hair.
Given the fact that working folks, especially those who belong to unions, have been jettisoned by the Dollarcratic party it is time to establish our own party. Both parties feel the source of financial woes are union members and retired union members as well as non union workers, who might be tired of being trod upon and form a union. What we need is a LABOR party that will represent the 99%.,
Of course the rich support charter schools. In nearly all cases their children attended private schools and received a quality education. So it stands to reason if there were more of them (private type charter schools) more kids would get a better education. NOT! What they fail to admit is they will not fund the charter schools for the working classes with the necessities and extras that their children had in their private schools. To get into the “better” charter schools you will need to keep two addresses one a condo in the city and the other, your north shore suburban estate. Additionally, you need to have political ties with key political figures. Sending large sums of money to the school to insure it has everything it needs, including non union teachers is expected. If you can’t meet these requirements your child will go to a charter school that hires non certified staff both to keep the costs and tests scores down. One thing be assured in attending the charter school—you will never have to spell hypocrisy in their spelling bee.