The Signal (Episode 2) Merchants of Deception: The Dark Money & Parent Props Trying to Destroy Public Education, with Maurice Cunningham

On this episode, Cyril welcomes Maurice Cunningham to the show. Maurice is the author of the book Dark Money and the Politics of School Privatization. He retired in 2021 as associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. His work has been distributed through the Independent Media Institute and has appeared in publications that include the Boston Globe, Alternet, Tampa Bay Times, The Detroit Free Press, and The Portland Press-Herald (ME), as well as The Bucks County Beacon. Today we talk about a report Maurice just published this month for The Network for Public Education entitled Merchants of Deception: Parent Props and Their Funders, which pulls back the veil on the right-wing figures, their tactics, and the funding behind today’s attack on public education in Bucks County and beyond. 

The Signal is a podcast by The Bucks County Beacon, I’m your host and the Beacon’s editor in chief Cyril Mychalejko. Twice a month we will use this space to shine a light on the right-wing extremist currents streaming though Bucks County and beyond. We will talk to guests who will help listeners navigate these perilous political waters by providing insight, analysis, and organizing solutions so that we can steer the community toward calmer, saner progressive routes.

Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue

1. Dark Money and the Politics of School Privatization, by Maurice Cunningham.
2. A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door: The Dismantling of Public Education and the Future of School, by Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider
3. Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America’s Public Schools, by Diane Ravitch
4. Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope, by bell hooks
5. Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, by Jane Mayer

Additional Resources: 

• The Disinformation Playbook Targeting Our Public Schools and Elections
• MassPoliticsProfs
• The Network for Public Education
• Public Schooling Battle Map
• Bucks County Beacon Education Coverage

The Signal is produced by Kevin Mahoney, Raging Chicken Media.

Music by Maf é Tulà and Cartas a Felice, “La Loca.” Panela Music. 

Follow us on Twitter:

• @BucksCoBeacon
• @cmychalejko 
• @RCpress