A Few “Facts” and Questions for Indiana Democrat Justin Moed

by Doug Martin

Straight off the heels of meeting private and charter school students at the statehouse rally for school privatization (sponsored by Hoosiers for Quality Education, Charter Schools USA, K-12 online learning, and many other groups detailed in my book Hoosier School Heist,) Indianapolis Democrat representative Justin Moed, who I am told is a supporter of supt. Glenda Ritz, was retweeting posts by the Hoosiers for Quality Education PAC, H4QED, yesterday.

Hoosiers for Quality Education, formerly known as the Hoosiers for Economic Growth PAC, is the single most dangerous school privatizing group in Indiana.  It is the Amway/Walmart/hedge fund PAC which has funded Republicans in this state from day one to buy school privatization. 

Moed, in a response to me, the Muncie Voice and Hoosier Voices PE on Twitter, said we should “check” our “facts before we tweet,” so here are some facts that I hope Moed responds to.

So far Moed has been on the side of public education and state supt. Glenda Ritz, but his past is worth noting.  Moed, undoubtedly, is not raking in the campaign money from school privatizers that many Republicans in Indiana are, but he is getting money from those behind school privatization. 

Moed has taken money from Eli Lilly and Stand for Children, supporters of the Teach for America-Teach Plus temporary teacher and charter school agenda in Indiana.  In 2013, Eli Lilly handed Moed’s campaign $500 (page 26) and $500 more in 2014 (page 17).  Stand for Children gave Moed $750 in May of 2013 (page 18).  Stand for Children also dished out $500 for Moed’s campaign in 2012 (page 5).

In November 2013, hedge fund Democrat for Education Reform politician Mary Ann Sullivan herself gave Moed $100 (page 10).

In 2012, Andre Carson’s campaign gave Moed $500 (page 8).  Andre Carson’s campaign also handed Moed $150 in 2013 (page 23) and $250 last year (page 11).  Carson is a Wall Street Democrat (also funded by Gulen charter school people) whose wife will soon launch a charter school with money from the Mind  Trust.

And Zink Properties, a funder of Mike Pence (at least $30,000, according to state campaign finance records), Brian Bosman, and Tony Bennett, gave Moed $1,000 (page 28) in 2013 and even handed out golf prizes at some Moed event (see page 29 and page 39). Last year, Zink Properties slid another $1,000 Moed’s way (page 19).

JP Morgan Chase, the too-big to fail bank which crashed the economy in 2008 and lends millions to charter schools, slipped Moed $250 in 2014 (page 14).  The Indy Chamber gave the Democrat $500 last year, too (page 16). 

I think it best that the politicians who support public education start educating themselves a bit about the players in Hoosier School Heist.  I also think it best that supporters of public schools not forget that we must, from time to time, put pressure on Indiana Democrats, too, for there’ s a lot of money available for them to sell out.