Foundation for Excellence in Education

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The Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE) is a non-profit group founded by former Florida governor Jeb Bush in 2008 and headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida. The FEE describes themselves as, "working with decision makers on developing, adopting and implementing reform policies. We are a hands-on, how-to organization that provides model legislation, rule-making expertise, implementation strategies, and public outreach."[1]

The FEE is a member of American Legislative Exchange Council and a former associate member of the State Policy Network (SPN)[2]


Ties to ALEC

As of December 2019, FEE is a non-profit member of the American Legislative Exchange Council.[3]

Promoting Corporate Funders' Interests and Work With ALEC

Non profit group, In the Public Interest released e-mails in January 2013 revealing correspondence between the FEE and other Jeb Bush founded group, Chiefs for Change, which consists of former and current state education leaders who support Bushes conservative education reform goals. Education officials from Florida, New Mexico, Maine, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Louisiana are were involved.[4] The e-mails reveal the FEE writing and editing laws, regulations, and executive orders on state education that benefit corporate donors' profit opportunities and closely resemble the American Legislative Exchange Council's education agenda. The FEE arranged "Chief for Change donor meetings" where education officials literally sat in with the corporations profiting from providing education materials and technologies that policies promote. Legislation edited by the FEE and originally written by ALEC which would eliminate class size caps and student-teacher ratios, allow public dollars to flow to online schools and classes and prevent local school districts from limiting access to virtual schools, has already been proposed in Maine. Other FEE written legislation in Florida has increased the use of a proprietary test which is provided by Pearson, an FEE donor.[5] Louisiana Voice found,

"FEE and ALEC also have many of the same “experts” who serve as members or staff employees and the two organizations also collaborate on the annual ALEC education “report card” which grades states’ allegiance to their policies."[4]

Dave Myslinski, the former FEE State Policy Director for Digital Learning Now! (an operation of FEE), is also the former Staff Director on ALEC's Education Task Force.

About ALEC
ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve “model” bills. Learn more at the Center for Media and Democracy's ALECexposed.org, and check out breaking news on our ExposedbyCMD.org site.

News and Controversies

Special Interests Use FEE as a Backdoor Lobbying Vehicle

The Foundation for Excellence in Education has pushed hard for states to adopt digital learning in public schools, "a costly transition that often requires new software and hardware. Many of those digital products are made by donors to Bush’s foundation, including Microsoft, Intel, News Corp., Pearson PLC and K12 Inc."[6]

Jeb Bush, as well as FEE maintain support for Common Core standards. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a top FEE donor, is the primary funder of the campaign.

Other policy goals of the foundation include:[6]

  • A-F report cards for schools
  • Tax vouchers for private schools
  • Expanding charter schools
  • Encouraging online learning and virtual charter schools

These policy goals are in step with ALEC's education agenda.

Core Financials

2014[7]

  • Total Revenue: $11,884,963
  • Total Expenses: $12,608,835
    • Total Lobbying Expenditures: $15,373
  • Net Assets: $13,760,911

2013:[8]

  • Total Revenue: $11,416,212
  • Total Expenses: $10,355,530
  • Net Assets: $14,640,889

2012:[9]

  • Total Revenue: $10,056,650
  • Total Expenses: $5,949,477
  • Net Assets: $13,599,985

Personnel

Staff

Staff as of August 30, 2016:[10]
Senior Staff

  • Patricia Levesque, CEO
  • Deena Reppen, Vice President of Administration and Chief of Staff
  • J. Alex Kelly, Vice President of Advocacy

Advocacy

  • Jess Langhain, National Advocacy Director
  • Tom Greene, Regional Advocacy Director, West Coast
  • Ryan Mahoney, Regional Advocacy Director, Southeast
  • Debbie Mortham, Florida Advocacy Director
  • Kim Preston, Regional Advocacy Director, Midwest
  • Adam Thompson, Regional Advocacy Director, Gulf Region

Policy

  • Joanna Hassell, National Policy Director
  • Shan Goff, Florida Policy Director
  • Christy Hovanetz, Senior Policy Fellow, Accountability
  • Matthew H. Joseph, Policy Director, Funding
  • Matthew Ladner, Senior Advisor, Policy and Research
  • Lowell Matthews Jr., Policy Director, College and Career Readiness
  • Cari Miller, Policy Director, K-3 Reading
  • Adam Peshek, Director, Education Choice
  • Karla Phillips, Policy Director, Competency Based Education
  • Claire Voorhees, Director, K-12 Reform

Communication and Operations

  • Jennifer Diaz, Director, State Communications
  • Kassandra A. Elekes, Deputy Director, State Communications
  • Kristin Lock, Director, Marketing and Digital
  • Barbara Ross, National Communications Director
  • Mandy Clark, National Director of Development

Board of Directors

As of 2021:[11]

  • Janet Ayers, President, The Ayers Foundation
  • Reginald J. Brown, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
  • Jeb Bush, Chairman
  • Eric Cantor, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Moelis & Company, & former House Majority Leader
  • Chris Cerf, Former New Jersey Commissioner of Education
  • Gary Chartrand, Executive Chairman of Acosta & Board Chair of KIPP: Jacksonville Schools
  • Cesar Conde, Chairman, NBCUniversal International Group and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises
  • F. Philip Handy, CEO of Winter Park Capital & former Chairman of the Florida State Board of Education
  • Dee Bagwell Haslam, CEO, Haslam Sports Group and Partner/Executive Producer, RIVR Media
  • Allan B. Hubbard, Co-founder and Chairman, E&A Industries & former Director, National Economic Council
  • Joel I. Klein, Chief Policy and Strategy Officer of Oscar Health & former Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education
  • Susana Martinez, 31st Governor of New Mexico
  • Bruce Rauner, 42nd Governor of Illinois

Former Board of Directors

  • Patricia Levesque, CEO
  • John Bailey, Executive Director of Digital Learning Now!,
  • Dave Myslinski, State Policy Director for Digital Learning Now!,
  • Eric Smith, Executive Director of Chiefs for Change,
  • Josh Venable, National Director of Advocacy/Legislation
  • Mary Laura Bragg, National Director of Policy/Implimentation
  • Jaryn Emhof, National Director of Communications,
  • Erin Price, Marketing Director,
  • Fonda Anderson, Chief Development Officer,
  • Kay Kammel, Chief of Staff,
  • Carrie Jenkins, Chief Financial Officer
  • Elizabeth Emery, Office Manager, Washington, DC
  • Sarah Powell, Operations Manager
  • Susan Rehwinkel, Operations Manager for CEO
  • William E. Oberndorf, Treasurer
  • William Simon, Director
  • Brian S. Yablonski, Director
  • Elizabeth DeVos, Director
  • Laureen P. Jobs, Director
  • Condoleezza Rice, Director
  • Charles Schwab, Director

Donors

The FEE lists the donors on their website, below is a list of donors who contributed over $100,000:[12]

Other funders that are listed include:

Contact

EIN: 26-0615175

Mailing Address:
Foundation for Excellence in Education
P.O. Box 10691
Tallahassee, FL 32302

Phone: (850) 391-4090
Fax: (786) 664-1794
Email: info@excelined.org
Website: http://excelined.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExcelinEd/
Twitter: @ExcelinEd

Resources and Articles

References

  1. ↑ Foundation for Excellence in Education, About Us, foundation website, accesses June 4th, 2013.
  2. ↑ State Policy Network, SPN Florida, organizational website, accessed September 1, 2016.
  3. ↑ Jamie Corey, DOZENS OF ALEC MEMBERS REVEALED IN EMAILS OBTAINED BY DOCUMENTED USING THE FLORIDA SUNSHINE LAW, Documented, December 19, 2019.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Nonprofit group releases emails which depict connection between ALEC, education reform and corporate investors, Louisiana Voice, January 30th, 2013.
  5. ↑ Donald Cohen, "Bush's Education Nonprofit and Corporate Profits", In the Public Interest, January 30th, 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lyndsey Layton, Jeb Bush education foundation played leading role in mixing politics, policy, The Washington Post, January 6, 2015.
  7. ↑ Foundation for Excellence in Education, 2014 IRS Form 990, Internal Revenue Service, November 13, 2015.
  8. ↑ Foundation for Excellence in Education, 2013 IRS Form 990, Internal Revenue Service, November 13, 2014.
  9. ↑ Foundation for Excellence in Education, 2012 IRS Form 990, Internal Revenue Service, November 15, 2013.
  10. ↑ Excellence in Education, Team, organizational website, accessed August 30, 2016.
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named eeabt
  12. ↑ FEE, Our Donors, foundation website, accessed August 30, 2016.
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