Category Archives: Ethics & Lobbying

On Public Integrity and Our Ethics Complaint

A few months ago, I made the decision to sign on to a complaint filed with the Philadelphia Board of Ethics.  The complaint, signed by members of Parents United for Public Education, the NAACP, and the Philadelphia Home and School Council, was concerned with the William Penn Foundation’s financing of a private consulting group inContinue reading “On Public Integrity and Our Ethics Complaint”

Why we filed with the Ethics Board: The public deserves to know what’s happening here

Yesterday, Parents United for Public Education, the Philadelphia Home and School Council and the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP filed a complaint with the City Ethics Board requesting an investigation into whether the Boston Consulting Group, private donors, and the William Penn Foundation acted as lobbyists and principals to influence policy in the School DistrictContinue reading “Why we filed with the Ethics Board: The public deserves to know what’s happening here”

The new “philanthropy”: private agendas vs. public interest

Jeremy Nowak is out as president of the William Penn Foundation. In light of his abrupt departure, deeper questions emerge about the role the foundation played under his tenure. For months, Parents United for Public Education has raised questions about the Foundation’s role in funding and directing the work of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). TwoContinue reading “The new “philanthropy”: private agendas vs. public interest”

Parents United’s City Council testimony on BCG

On Monday, Nov. 26th City Council hosted an education committee hearing on the Boston Consulting Group. Parents United co-founders Helen Gym, Gerald Wright and Cecelia Thompson waited four hours to testify and finally left around 5 p.m. with 15 people still on the schedule before us. Needless to say we were very disappointed that parentsContinue reading “Parents United’s City Council testimony on BCG”