Interesting tax dodge possible here. If Edison or some interested crony donates $1 million to a school district and it is recognized as charity, that's a million off taxable income. If Edison spends $1 million on plant and equipment to upgrade a school it is taking over, that has to be amortized, meaning tax deductions spread out over time with less total tax savings.
In a Business Week article some months ago, Edison people said they did not expect to earn more than a modest return-- say six percent or so. They expected to be fueled by increased venture capital. In other words, school reform as Florida swampland. If you work for Edison and/or have stock, that's the way you're going to get rich. It worked for the founder of Education Alternatives Inc., an outfit that never made money but made its founder and a few principals very rich.
mbs