Troy Jackson and Shenna Bellows Denounce Anti-Public School Organization Bankrolling Nirav Shah TV Ads

This week, a super PAC funded by a PAC affiliated with the New York-based school privatization advocacy group Democrats for Education Reform (DER) released an ad supporting Democrat Nirav Shah for Governor. The pro-Shah super PAC 314 Action made a half million dollar ad buy to support Shah that was funded by Education Reform Now Advocacy Inc, a PAC affiliated with DER. The advocacy group focuses on expanding charter schools, mandating more standardized tests, punishing teachers and fighting teachers’ unions. Education Reform Now Advocacy Inc. is funded by Wall Street and Hedge Fund executives. Here's a good overview of the group's long history of attacking teachers' unions and undermining public education.

Former State President Troy Jackson and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows released the following statement in response to the ad but.

“We are deeply disappointed to learn that Dr. Shah is being bankrolled by millionaires whose mission is diverting your tax dollars from Maine’s neighborhood public schools to private ones," said former Senate President Troy Jackson and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.

"As the first and second choice of Maine Teachers, we know our schools are already woefully underfunded — and we will never support making that worse. The group funding this ad campaign wants more voucher programs and private school subsidies, which will further drain resources from the public schools Maine children depend on. Maine's kids deserve fully funded public schools, not a privatization agenda bankrolled by out-of-state millionaires," Jackson and Bellows continued.