This particular panel was devoted to efforts in higher education related to well-being and clearly pitched to wealthy donors in the audience. Betsy DeVos Uses Our Taxes for Koch Brothers’ Agenda Education Secretary Betsy DeVos talks with Bill Cordes of the Department of Education's Budget Service before testifying in front of a Senate subcommittee on the department's budget request for fiscal year 2019, on June 5, 2018. In reality, what they are doing is pretty much the same thing because the economists they fund usually insist that regulations to limit greenhouse gases are both unnecessary and harmful to the economy. SPN and its member think tanks are major drivers of the ALEC-backed corporate agenda in state houses nationwide, with deep ties to the Koch brothers and the national right-wing network of funders. I was asked recently to provide information on Charles and David Koch and their positions on public schools. ( Log Out /  Even before their huge investments in supporting conservative candidates and “grassroots” Tea Party activists,  Charles and David Koch were spending millions on college and university campuses to create academic centers that would advance their extreme libertarian, free market ideology. And they in turn work with the (inaudible) sector that even talks to the media that talks to (inaudible). Representatives at Koch-funded centers, institutes, and think tanks may be invited to these summits to meet donors and make a pitch for their cause.The panel in question (“Leverage Science and the Universities”) is an ongoing seminar that presumably explores different ways to “leverage” donor investments in science or higher education for various shared goals of the coalition. Now a group called UnKoch My Campus is challenging those deals, and co-founder and campaigns director, Samantha Parsons, recently spoke with Facing South about its work. If some version of this proposal is agreed to, Koch will invite representatives from FSU to these meetings, introduce us, allow us to make our pitch, and encourage others to join them in funding the program. Pushing back on such situations led to the NAACP’s Moral Mondays; see, e.g., “Our Position on Diversity in Public Education in Wake County.”. Ryan Stowers, Director of Higher Education at CKF, then expands on the specific aims of CKF in higher education before introducing each of the four panelists. These well-known but highly secretive “summits” are held twice a year (since 2003) and now, by special invitation only, attract five hundred or more very wealthy donors. 3 Here is how the former president of APEE, Bruce Benson, described these donor summits to representatives at Florida State: “Charles Koch has organized a group of Foundations with similar agendas that meet twice a year to discuss funding strategies, etc. Check back for details on “the next phase of school choice,” as it emerges from this summit. That means destroying it, says the author of a new book on the billionaire brothers. Adele M. Stan, "Anatomy of the War on Women: How the Koch Brothers Are Funding the Anti-Choice Agenda", RH Reality Check. Wake County School Board member Karen Simon faced Deborah Pickett, supported by AFP funds, who spoke about “forced busing.” School Board member Rita Rakestraw faced Chris Malone, supported by AFP funds, who talked about the need for “neighborhood schools.” When AFP candidates won in Wake County, local news reported “in one election they now have the majority they need to change the way students are assigned to schools.” (see “Kochs’ Efforts to Re-Segregate Public Schools [2014 edition]“). (For our criticisms of these ideas, click here.). This massively funded and nationally orchestrated strategic effort is unprecedented in higher education. Americans for Prosperity meanwhile, is preparing to mobilize for the fall election. Richard Fink, a close advisor to Charles Koch, outlined key strategies and objectives in a paper entitled “The Structure of Social Change.”  And journalist Jane Mayer provides an in-depth analysis of Koch efforts in the political and academic spheres in her New Yorker articles and 2016 book Dark Money. Even before their huge investments in supporting conservative candidates and “grassroots” Tea Party activists, Charles and David Koch were spending millions on college and university campuses to create academic centers that would advance their extreme libertarian, free market ideology. CONSTRICT THE ELECTORATE. Opposition to the government spending any money on climate change is among this network's activities. Kevin Gentry, VP of CKF and also VP for Special Projects for Koch Industries, opened the session by highlighting the “significant competitive advantage” of this seminar network and the success of its investments that can now be seen in 400 colleges and universities. Long before ALEC started pushing taxpayer-subsidized school vouchers, for example, the Koch fortune was already underwriting attacks on public education. We’re very excited about doing it. The Education Town Hall with Thomas Byrd is the contemporary meeting place facilitating the construction of effective community-supported education solutions and strategic transformational actions. (To follow live, 8/29-30), view stream and #Dream14. Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call Now a group called UnKoch My Campus is challenging those deals, and co-founder and campaigns director, Samantha Parsons, recently spoke with Facing South about its work. It promises cutting-edge activist training and networking, warning: All around us a battle of ideas rages, and the very fabric of American prosperity is under attack. In 2012, the Kochs sued Cato after some of its libertarian positions supporting same-sex marriage and drug decriminalization angered conservatives. This is the first debate between Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) and Thom Tillis, currently Speaker of the NC House and candidate for U.S. Senate. As it happens, Americans for Prosperity, which the Koch brothers take credit for establishing, is hosting a conference this weekend on issues including “the next phase of school choice.” So, this is an interesting moment for such a review. See below for more. BASED ON THESE FINDINGS ALONE, IT IS THE VIEW OF THIS AD HOC COMMITTEE THAT WAKE FOREST AND THE EUDAIMONIA INSTITUTE SHOULD SEVER ALL CONNECTIONS TO THE CHARLES KOCH FOUNDATION AND ITS UNPRECEDENTED AND WELL DOCUMENTED EFFORT TO COOPT HIGHER EDUCATION FOR IDEOLOGICAL, POLITICAL, AND FINANCIAL ENDS. After panelists’ presentations, Gentry concludes the session by underlining the integrated approach between CKF efforts in higher education, think tanks, grassroots political efforts, and ultimately, legislative and social impact. 'Dark Money': Koch Brothers' Donations Push Their Political Agenda Steve Inskeep talks to author Jane Mayer about her new book Dark Money: The … all in service of a hard-right anti-government agenda. The focus on K-12 education follows long involvement by the Koch brothers in higher education. The Libertarian Party focuses on free market and parental authority in its education policy: Education is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality, accountability and efficiency with more diversity of choice. This latter point is worth highlighting. As leaders of a conservative movement that believes U.S. higher education is … According to a report by American University 's Investigative Reporting Workshop, the Koch brothers have built "what may be the best funded, multifaceted, public policy, political and educational presence in the nation today."