Welcome to Cashing in on Kids, a newsletter for people fighting to stop the privatization of America’s public schools—produced by In the Public Interest.

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“We are funding other people’s communities.” A video has gone viral on Twitter of Yusuf Abdul-Qadir, director of the local chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, connecting the dots between Syracuse, New York’s bloated police budget and the defunding of the city’s public schools. King Bach on Twitter

Los Angeles and San Diego schools to go online-only in the fall. Defying pressure from the Trump administration, California’s two largest public school districts said on Monday that students wouldn’t be returning to classrooms when the school year begins. The New York Times

At the other end of the spectrum, education leaders in nearby Orange County want schools to reopen without masks or social distancing. Why? “To model courage and persistence in the face of uncertainty and fear.” Los Angeles Times

ICYMI. Last week, In the Public Interest released answers to frequently asked questions about online charter schools, as well as guides for parents, legislators, and school district officials to make decisions about online schooling. In the Public Interest

Controversial charter school claims it “earns” its money. The founders of Oklahoma’s Epic Charter Schools, which have been in a year-long legal battle with the state, now claim that the tens of millions of public dollars in question were “earned” by the for-profit school management company they own to provide goods and services. Tulsa World

The pandemic should be a catalyst to triple public school funding. Richard Barth, CEO of the pro-privatization KIPP Foundation and founding staff member of Teach For America: “Congress should triple Title I funding, the largest federal aid program for public schools, so that public schools serving low-income children are not asked to meet the biggest challenge in the history of American education with far less funding than they have today.” Forbes