Welcome to Cashing in on Kids, a weekly email newsletter for people fed up with the privatization of America’s public schools—produced by In the Public Interest.

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Utah charter school tries to opt out of Black History Month. A privately operated but publicly funded charter school in the majority-white small city of North Ogen, Utah, allowed parents to withdraw their children from Black History Month curriculum but reversed its decision after a public outcry. The New York Times

Now the rest of the news…

“Now they love her.” Even the free-market-loving Financial Times sees the significance of the late former president of the Chicago Teachers Union Karen Lewis’s work: “The CTU was one of the first US unions to popularise bargaining for the common good. When teachers in WV, CA and CO went on strike in 2018 and 2019, and there were walkouts and rallies in another seven states, all wore CTU red as they advocated for better pay, more respect and the value of public education in the face of privatisation.” The Financial Times

This teacher worked for K12 Inc. and regrets it. Diane Ravitch shares the story of a teacher who worked for the for-profit K12 Inc. online charter chain and regrets it. “I am incredulous,” the former teacher writes. “Especially in light of COVID-19’s inevitable effect on public education, that the federal government allowed for-profit corporations K12, inc. and Pearson Education to develop and mass distribute their Virtual Academies and Connections Academies across the nation over the past decade or so primarily at the tax-payers’ expense. Diane Ravitch’s Blog

Pro-charter Arizona CEOs call vouchers “privatization.” Two CEOs call out the racism in a school voucher bill being proposed by Arizona Republican lawmakers: “There’s a lot wrong with this bill, but the worst is the fact that rather than focus on supporting low-income students of color, many of whom are already eligible, SB1452 will make many more middle- and high-income white students eligible for taxpayer-subsidized vouchers.”

Important context: One of the CEOs serves on the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools. Arizona Capitol Times

Charter school expansion drains public budgets. The Rhode Island Senate has overwhelmingly approved a three-year moratorium on new charter schools and charter expansions. Among the arguments for the moratorium: Charter expansion would have a “devastating” financial impact on public school districts, as much as $92 million in lost tuition. The Providence Journal

The door keeps revolving. KIPP, the massive nationwide charter school chain, has added a former San Antonio ISD official to its Texas executive suite. San Antonio Business Journal

And finally, here’s your opportunity to connect…

Addressing education inequality with community schools. On February 25, the Center for Universal Education will host a webinar to launch the Brookings Task Force on Next Generation Community Schools report “Addressing education inequality with next generation community schools: A blueprint for mayors, states, and the Biden-Harris Administration.” Brookings