What would a Massachusetts-based multinational consulting firm want with the Philadelphia public schools? Since last February the Boston Consulting Group has wielded unprecedented influence over School District budgeting and structuring – and almost entirely out of the eye of the public.
They were behind a District restructuring plan revealed last spring that signaled an all-out assault on public education. Among the Boston Consulting Group’s plans:
- 64 school closures within five years;
- 40 school closures by Sept. 2013;
- massive charter school expansion to 40% of total student population;
- major union concessions; and
- all schools divided into “networks” run by third-party operators.
The controversy over the BCG plan generated a huge outcry, but what hasn’t been discussed enough is who drove the ideas behind the plan. The plan was paid for with millions in private donations and a contract executed not with the School District of Philadelphia but with a foundation representing the private donors’ interests.
Read more about why transparency matters with the Boston Consulting Group in “our issues” section.
Parents United for Public Education 