Opinion:
Why many local candidates are rightfully rejecting support from Democrats for Education Reform
By Nathan Luecking
Over the last several D.C. election cycles, one political action committee has spent far more than any other interest group, and it’s not even close. More than the restaurant, real estate, and healthcare lobby combined. Democrats for Education Reform DC (DFER DC) routinely spends upwards of $500,000 per election cycle on mailers, polling, and field organizing on behalf of candidates they endorse. With a ripe war chest, you would think that candidates would be eager to court their endorsement. However, many candidates have been explicitly and happily distancing themselves from the group.
DFER DC is the local chapter of DFER, a hedge-fund backed interest group whose financial arm, Education Reform Now, draws funding from conservative philanthropists, most notably The Walton Family Foundation, the face of the opioid crisis Jonathan Sackler, and Fox News mogul Rupert Murdoch. While they have “Democrats” in their name, their K-12 agenda more accurately resembles the Republican education platform introduced at this year’s Republican National Committee Convention.
The D.C. chapter, founded in 2015, has historically backed candidates who favor mayoral control, limited public transparency for charter schools, high stakes testing, and perpetual school closures/openings. In a nutshell, DFER DC advocates for all the mechanisms needed to break public accountability and ensure that public education remains a profitable enterprise for consultants, developers, and corporations.
The mission of DFER DC alone is enough to turn off many voters, but their aggressive campaign tactics made them despised by many D.C. residents. In March, 2020 DFER DC endorsed incumbent Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd, a pro-business, anti-transparency education reform advocate. His challenger, Janeese Lewis George, was an advocate for greater transparency of public education dollars and limiting Mayoral control. In early May of 2020, DFER DC sent out a barrage of pro-police attack mailers against George’s position on public safety, just days before the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police. The mailers, called disingenuous by some, Trumpian by others, did not go over well. The backlash was strong, and George won the contest handily. DFER DC issued a sorry-not-sorry statement but the damage had already been done.
This fall, At-Large Council Candidates have been lining up to denounce DFER. Candidates Ed Lazere and Markus Batchelor among others, all issued explicit condemnations of the group. Candidates who were once considered DFER DC favorites have backed away. Real estate developer Marcus Goodwin, once a shoe-in for the lucrative DFER DC nod, has signaled distance. Even At Large State Board of Education candidate Jacque Patterson, a founding board member of DFER DC and virtual lock for their endorsement, has downplayed his association with the group he helped start, even as he continues to accept contributions from DFER DC leadership and expensive mailers on his behalf.
What is the future for DFER DC? In Colorado, the Denver Democratic Party called for DFER’s local chapter to stop using the name “Democrats”. The California Democratic Party issued a condemnation against DFER for using conservative funding streams and Republican operatives to push their privatization agenda. Whatever the future holds for DFER DC, it’s clear that they have become politically toxic and may no longer be welcome by D.C. residents and leaders alike.
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Nathan Luecking is a School Social Worker in a DCPS high school in Southeast D.C. Nathan has served on the Mayor’s Office Coordinating Council on School Mental Health Expansion and is an active member of various grassroots political organizations.
His opinions and the positions of candidates for D.C. Council and the State Board of Education are not endorsements by The Dig.
