BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Activists, community members and a few politicians on Thursday attended a "billionaires vs. the people" rally in Bethlehem that was mainly about the richest man in the state: Jeff Yass.
A few dozen people showed up and held signs with messages such as "Say no to Yass," "Don't let Yass gamble with our futures" and "Pick a side: kids or Yass."
The rally was held by the Working Families Party, a left-leaning political party that also is registered as a hybrid-political action committee. It has spent $6,370,464 in the 2024 election so far, according to public records.
Other participants in the rally included PA Stands Up, Make the Road Action PA, Lehigh County Commissioner Jon Irons, state House candidate Anna Thomas and Northampton County Controller Tara Zrinski.
Private school worries
Yass, who is a registered Libertarian, has a net worth of nearly $50 billion and has donated more than anyone else in the 2024 election, according to a donations watchdog— with a lot of it going to Pennsylvania conservative candidates.
He did not immediately respond to a request for an interview.
Most speakers at Thursday's rally expressed concern over Yass' proclivity toward supporting alternatives to traditional public schools — such as private ones.
Thomas, a Democratic candidate for the 137th House District seat, which represents the Nazareth and Easton areas, said she believes that could lead to inequities.
"I'll give you a very specific example of why the proliferation of charter schools at the expense of public schools is so toxic in Pennsylvania," Thomas said.
"Because when you have an IEP in Pennsylvania — an individualized learning plan — say you are a child with special needs, or you need something.
"You have a disability, you need something to be able to be successful in a classroom. The only school that is truly legally required to enroll you is a public school in the traditional sense of the word.
"Charter schools will, you know, assess your application, and they will come up with a reason to deny you."
'Ensure that every child has access'
Thomas said that's because charter schools have incentives to have high average grades, which could lead to children with disabilities or learning differences having a smaller selection of schools they are likely to be allowed to attend.
"And a lot of this stuff is actually a little bit sneaky and hard to pin down," Thomas said. "But the major point being that public schools — it is illegal for them to reject any student.
"Public schools, like the kind that I went to when I was a kid growing up in Bethlehem."
"When we privatize schools, we take that choice away from poor people, primarily who cannot afford to choose a private school."Lehigh County Commissioner Jon Irons
Lehigh County Commissioner Irons explained his perspective on educational equity by saying, "Public schools, by design, guarantee access to equitable education for all people of all backgrounds, regardless of their economic means.
"So it is the number one transformational experience that a young person can have growing up in poverty that can allow them to escape poverty, to find a good job to better their lives.
"That hinges on the fact that we as a society invest in public schools and ensure that every child has access to those education educational opportunities.
"When we privatize schools, we take that choice away from poor people, primarily who cannot afford to choose a private school. They cannot afford, sometimes, to have transportation to go to other charter and magnet schools, they have one option, which is to go to public schools."
Irons said he did not believe the quality of education was inferior at public schools, but repeated his concerns about Yass, with a history of favoring private education over public, making multimillion-dollar donations to politicians.
