It’s apparently pretty well known that the Walmart Foundation1 gives big ass grants to charter schools as part of their general project of undermining civil society.2 And it turns out they’re handing them out right here in Los Angeles!
Consider the case of the Waldorf-infused gentrification charter known as El Rio Community School. I recently obtained copies of their recent bank statements and right there in November 2019 you can see that big old Walmart Family deposit, just BAM! Straight into the checking account! Or see image below!!
And there are a couple anonymous deposits of $10K each. Perhaps they’re totally innocuous, but my god, how the money rolls in. And it’s not really plausible that Walmart is so incredibly interested in the pedagogical value of letting kids color on the walls rather than memorizing the popes in order or whatever it is these Waldorfsters are up to.
But the Walmart Family folks didn’t get to be zillionaires by squandering their fortunes. They are getting exactly what they’re paying for from Katie Sobczak Chau, even if she’s too dense or too amoral to care or even to consider what it is she’s selling them.
Image of Katie Sobczak Chau is ©2020 MichaelKohlhaas.org and that, as per the poor cat i’ th’ adage, is freaking that!
- I already know it’s the Walton Foundation in case you prefer to forgo an angry self-righteous comment or two. If not I’m just going to let it rot in the moderation queue anyway.
- I already know the word “their” is ambiguous in this sentence. Not only did I freaking write it that way on purpose but it took a little bit of craft to make it come out so natural sounding. See above note on comments if you’re feeling tempted to make one.