America First Policy Institute’s Cherry Creek Records Request

In November 2023, the MAGA think tank, America First Policy Institute, and Colorado Parent Advocacy Network filed an open records request in the Cherry Creek School District. They accused Cherry Creek Schools of ‘conspiring against parents concerned about critical race theory’.

  • Regarding the Cherry Creek Open Records Request, the AFPI website states,
    • “Routine, ideological teacher trainings are being implemented to indoctrinate teachers and staff both to embrace the tenets of CRT and to deny biological reality.’ The AFPI website also claims.”
    • “The CCSD curriculum is rooted in bigoted and backward concepts that are antithetical to a meritocratic system and core American values, both crucial to our nation’s past and future success.” 

What is AFPI & how do they intend to influence Public Education?

 An article from The Nation says, “For all the attention focused on the Heritage Foundation and its Project 2025 policy agenda, AFPI has been Trumpworld’s principal policy network, serving as a haven for former Trump appointees during the Biden years. AFPI hands assembled a detailed blueprint for Trump’s return to power, including plans to make the Trump tax cuts permanent and purge the federal workforce of civil service workers deemed insufficiently MAGA ”  U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon previously served as the Chair of the Board and Chair of the Center for the American Worker for the America First Policy Institute. In January 2024, America First Policy Institute named Erica Donalds as Chair of the Center for Education Opportunity and Chair of the AFPI-Florida State Chapter. 

Who is Erika Donalds?

Erika Donalds is the Chair of the Center for Education Opportunity, the Chair of the AFPI-Florida State Chapter, and the founder of the Naples, Florida-based Charter School Management Firm OptimaEd. OptimaEd manages in-person learning charter schools that utilize the Hillsdale College Barney Charter School Initiative Model. Additionally, Optima Classical Academy is a statewide charter school for grades 3-8 that operates online, and OptimaEd provides management services.

Erika has been at the forefront of the school choice movement in Florida for several years. In 2013, Erika Donalds founded Parents’ Rights of Choice for Kids, a group that promotes parental involvement in educational decisions. The organization played a significant role in laying the groundwork for what would become a larger parents’ rights movement. Erika is married to U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds, a Republican representing Florida. Together, they have been involved in various conservative educational initiatives and organizations, including Moms for Liberty.

Donald’s political career began in 2014 when she won a seat on the Collier County School Board. While on the school board, she advocated conservative policies and school-choice initiatives. She was also instrumental in founding the Florida Coalition of School Board Members, a splinter group that advocates conservative education policies. Other early members of the group were school board members from Sarasota and Brevard County, Bridget Ziegler and Tina Descovich, who would later help found Moms for Liberty. This coalition has formed strong alliances with prominent conservative organizations, leveraging their collective strength to create a significant influence on educational policy. In 2017, Donalds was appointed to the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, on which she continued her advocacy for school vouchers.

Steamboat Institute Liberty Chats, Episode 40: Erika Donalds, CEO of Optima Ed

  • Betsy DeVos Was a Disaster. I Think Erika Donalds Could Be Worse.”
    • “Up at the dais, wearing a shiny green satin T-shirt that stood out against a row of American flags, Moms for Liberty advisory board member and wife of Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) Erika Donalds offered an invocation. “Lord, you have elevated this organization to do your good work in this country,” she said. “We’re grateful that the truth is being exposed, that parents are being able to see what’s really going on in education in our country.”
  • Educational reform: Erika Donalds highlights Florida’s role as a national beacon
    • “She also supports sending block grants to States with no federal requirements attached. Funds that are for high-poverty areas or students with special needs could be used by States for any purpose state lawmakers may choose, this could be detrimental for schools that accept Title 1 funds and Special Education Programs.”
  • Getting rid of teaching certification test could help students.
    • “Erika has publicly advocated for the elimination of teacher certification tests, she argues, “Getting rid of the tests allow more college graduates of non-teaching fields like history, math and English to become educators by lowering the barrier of entry.” 

  •  Trump Elevates a Conservative ‘Warrior’ on Education
    • “The couple has deep ties to leading forces in those debates, including Moms for Liberty, Hillsdale College and the Florida Citizens Alliance, which has pushed to remove books that it deems inappropriate from schools. Both Byron and Erika Donalds have made remarks disparaging homosexuality.” 

Final Thoughts

Erika Donalds and the America First Policy Institute DO NOT support our Public Schools. In the event of the U.S. Department of Education’s closure, the Colorado Department of Education, the Colorado State Board of Education, and our lawmakers will be entrusted with the future of our Colorado Public Schools. It’s crucial that we, as concerned citizens, advocate for these local authorities to make the best decisions for our children’s education.

Quick Notes

  • Influence Watch
  • Supports Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum
  • Supports Hillsdale ‘s Barney Charter School Initiative
  • Supports State Block Grants
  • Supports Educational Choice for Children Act
  • Supports Voucher Programs
  • Support Trump’s 1776 Project
  • Supports Project 2025

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