Sandra Feldman, American Federation of Teachers president, called for an independent investigation of the $90.2 billion Florida State Board of Administration's proposed $180 million buyout of Edison Schools Inc. through Liberty Partners, an affiliated private equity investment firm.
"It is potentially illegal for the Florida SBA to use retirement system money to buy virtually all of a company that advances the political agenda of the governor, the privatization of public schools," Ms. Feldman wrote in a letter to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. "This particular investment smacks of ‘social investing.'"