In response to several requests I'm attempting to end in ASCII format
the web file I sent a few days ago. In case this is not successful for
you here is the internet URL:
www.berkshire.net/~ifas/fw/9505/alliance.html
--
Kenneth S. Goodman, Professor, Language, Reading & Culture
504 College of Education, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
fax 520 7456895 phone 520 6217868
These are mean times- and in the mean time
We need to Learn to Live Under Water
--------------E40A6CBC875F21B51FF8734F
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii;
name="CALIFO~12.txt"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Disposition: inline;
filename="CALIFO~12.txt"
For those wanting more proof of the role of big business in the legislative attacks on public
education here's some facts
this was found at the Project Tocsin website
at:www.berkshire.net/~ifas/fw/9505/alliance.html
CALIEORNIA'S EDUCATION ALLIANCE
By Jerry Sloan
Soon after installing Ronald Reagan as president, social conservatives realized that
controlling the presidency meant little if they couldn't get their plans through Congress and
state legislatures. They realized that it meant more to control local school boards, city and
county governments, and, if possible, state legislatures because these were the government
units that were passing laws which had a greater impact on our daily lives.
>From that realization, particularly in California, has grown a vast grassroots movement which has been organized by
the five men of the Allied Business PAC to capture the state legislature.
Now, with that goal almost accomplished, Howard F. Ahmanson, the Allied Business PAC's chief Christian
Reconstructionist ideologues and daddy deep-pockets, has embarked upon a plan to capture California's school boards.
In November, 1994, Ahmanson was the chief financial backer ($40,000) of a pilot project in Orange County which
raised $63,221 and gave $61,671 to 36 endorsed candidates for school boards in 15 districts through a PAC known as
the Education Alliance. He was joined by John and Donna Crean of Newport Beach, who contributed $10,000.
It would appear that because of the unlimited financial resources of Ahmanson, the Creans, and the rest of the Allied
donors, they have the potential of being far more successful than that any other radical Religious Right group on the
California scene today.
The Education Alliance is reportedly run by a Mark Bucher, 35, from the office of his business, the Service First
Contractors Network in Tustin.
Although disclaiming any ties to the Religious Right, the agenda that Bucher says the Education Alliance supports is
amazingly similar to the agendas promoted by the Coalition on Revival (COR), the Traditional Values Coalition,
Christian Coalition, Citizens for Excellence in Education, and Focus on the Family/Capitol Resource Institute.
Bucher says that Education Alliance candidates generally oppose state and federal curriculum guidelines, support a
back-to basics approach to
1 of
2
7/161981027
AM
education and want to emphasize American values instead of multiculturalism. They are opposed to the California
Learning Assessment System and the establishment of health clinics or condom distribution in schools. They want to see
evolution and creationism taught side by side. They are divided on the question of prayer in schools.
The real educational agenda of the radical Religious Right is outlined by an organization spawned by COR called the
National Coordinating Committee. The purpose of this group is the abolition of public education by the year 2000.
The idea of abolishing public schools was reinforced by Christian Reconstructionist Gary North in his March, 1995
newsletter. "Our reform is straight forward; no more taxpayer-funded education," North wrote. "Not a brass Farthing,"
he concluded, quoting from My Fair Lady.
Howard F. Ahmanson Jr., the scion of the Home Savings fortune has been a member of the board of trustees of the
leading Christian Reconstructionist think tank, Chalcedon, since the mid-1970s. Ahmanson is also a long-time member
of the Council for National Policy. He was the number-one contributor to Proposition 174, the school voucher initiative
on the ballot in the 1993 general election.
The Education Alliance claimed a 33 percent success rate in the November, 1994 election which means that 12 of their
36 candidates won election. In some cases candidates spent up to $7000 to campaign for their seat. This is an
unprecedented amount for school board candidates to spend. It portrays an ominous future for people who want to run
for school board seats but do not have the financial backing to make the attempt.
With the help of Ahmanson and Crean, the Education Alliance hopes to expand its efforts state-wide by 1996 with the
additional goal of sponsoring an initiative to ban public employee unions from materially participating in elections for
public-employer trustee positions on school boards, city councils, county supervisors, water districts and so on.
Concerned citizens must do more than just wring their hands. They must become active in an organization which is
trying to alert the general public and pluralistic Evangelicals as to the real goals of the radical Religious Right.
Coalitions with other civil liberties and civil rights groups must be formed and become a priority in order to preserve the
freedom of public schools in our country.
2 of
2
7/16/981027
AM
--------------E40A6CBC875F21B51FF8734F--