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Gates Foundation cash wields influence

The Associated Press story noted that there is a joke going around that says the real secretary of education is Bill Gates. To us, that's no joke.

Editorial

We're grateful for all that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has done for education in America.

The foundation typically awards $200 million a year in grants to elementary and secondary education projects. This stands as a remarkable example of stewardship from someone who made more money than most of us can count as a founder of Microsoft.

But we are concerned about a scenario developing that involves the Gates Foundation, the Obama administration and the U.S. Education Department.

The Gates Foundation is offering up to $250,000 apiece to states that want to apply for $5 billion in federal grants to help reform our nation's school systems.

But there is a catch to the Gates Foundation's offer: The states applying for the grants must agree with the foundation's philosophy. Coincidentally, or maybe not, the Obama administration and the Gates Foundation agree about many changes that need to be made in our education system.

Not surprisingly, two of Education Secretary Arne Duncan's top employees are former Gates employees.

We have concerns on several levels. One source quoted in a story by The Associated Press suggested that such a cozy relationship could restrict the Gates Foundation's ability to be critical of the government and might limit trying things that the government doesn't like.

The heart of our concern, though, is that the Gates Foundation's money and its relationship with the Obama administration could give it unfair influence on education reform and the policies of the Education Department.

The AP story quoted Duncan, the education secretary, as saying he welcomed the foundation's involvement and that the more people involved in the reform process the better. Again, our concern is that the Gates Foundation's involvement and its former employees could actually end up drowning out other voices in the process.

To be clear, we're not against education reform, and we're not against committing serious money to the process. Those things need to happen. And we by no means want to belittle what the Gates Foundation has done. We wish it continued success.

The Associated Press story noted that there is a joke going around that says the real secretary of education is Bill Gates. To us, that's no joke.

— Editorial
Jackson Sun
2009-10-28
http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20091028/OPINION/910280304/Gates-Foundation-cash-wields-influence

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