Education Advocates Challenge Biden Pick For U.S. ED Deputy

Sources say she was reportedly the California Teachers Association hand-picked representative to serve on California Governor Gavin Newsom s Charter School Taskforce in 2019, which was established at the behest of the unions and charter critics to attempt to mitigate their growth. The task force s report served mostly to bolster existing obstacles to opening new charter schools, and their recommendations sought to increase the regulatory hurdles prospective school leaders face in the state, resulting in considerable negative impact on the state s charter community. 

According to the Sacramento Observer, Charter school advocates are concerned that Marten has adopted the California Teachers Association (CTA) hard line against charter school growth. She testified before the Legislature for Assembly Bill 1505 which was reportedly co-authored by CTA to give local school districts more control over charter schools operating within their boundaries. Margaret Fortune, who is President and CEO of a network of charter schools serving predominantly Black students and who was a member of Gov. Newsom s charter school task force with Marten [the network where Gorman s grandmother serves as a director], observed the nominee for Deputy Secretary of Education taking the side of the teachers union in their war against charter schools. She advocated for a temporary freeze of charter school expansions and limits on charter school operators ability to appeal charter denials by local school districts.

Jed Wallace, the former CEO of California s charter association, has commented extensively about Marten s opposition to charter schools. As he told The 74, the Task Force Report that Marten praised was a complete and utter hit job on charter schools. 

via www.forbes.com