From the Vault: September 22, 1998
Reporting from Washington, DC… The following e‑mail was forwarded to EIA from a reliable source…
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To: State Presidents@ST@AFF, State Executive Directors@ST@AFF, ExecComm@Exec@NEA, Executive_Staff@Exec@NEA, State PR Contacts@ST@AFF, State GR Directors@ST@AFF
From: Bob Chase@Exec@NEA
Date: Fri Sep 18 10:22:23 1998
Attached: None
Don Cameron and I are sending you this alert. The National Education Association is poised to release a major new study revealing a hidden national network to de‑fund the public schools. This message is to provide you a “heads up” on the release of that report.
As part of the assistance NEA provided the California Teachers Association on Proposition 226, we conducted a massive research project of the major proponents of the initiative. Our research revealed that the Proposition 226 campaign was not a California grass‑roots movement. Instead, proponents of the measure were mostly national conservative organizations and some of the nation’s wealthiest right‑wing individuals. While the media did pick up on the connection between Grover Norquist (Americans for Tax Reform) and J. Patrick Rooney (Golden Rule Insurance Company), it did not reveal the extent of the hidden agendas behind Proposition 226.
Our research draws exclusively from public documents and filings (Federal income tax returns, Federal Election Commission reports, etc.), extensive Internet research, interviews, and articles in magazines and newspapers. It shows that not only are the Proposition 226 proponents reaching into virtually every state in the nation, they are also the same network of organizations and individuals pushing vouchers. This anti‑public education agenda is being carried out by national organizations, conservative foundations, wealthy individuals, and state chapters. The network is very complex, and the NEA report (titled “The Real Story Behind Paycheck Protection”) goes to great lengths to describe these individuals and organizations and how they work together.
We anticipate media interest in the report. We are now in the process of printing the document and will express mail copies to every state affiliate as soon as they come back from the printer. We expect to have them to you no later than September 29.
A memo with talking points and the embargoed news release will be sent to you via e‑mail next week. It is an eye‑opening document, and one which we hope will provide you with information you can use in your state.
