A group of elite private schools in Manhattan and Brooklyn is owned by a company headed by an executive named as a senior member of the Chinese Communist Party.
The Free Basis School, which has two campuses in each district, charges up to $44,500 a year and boasts that its graduates “gain admission to some of the most prestigious colleges in the world.”
Its 3-12th grade school in Red Hook, Brooklyn, was ranked among the best college prep schools in the private school rankings by Niche.
The other three schools are pre-K through 2nd grade in downtown Brooklyn, pre-K through 5th grade on the Upper West Side and grades 6-12 in Chelsea.
In 2019, the school’s founders sold the school to Spring Education Group, which is controlled by Hong Kong-based Primavera Capital Group.
Primavera’s Chairman and CEO is Fred Zuliu Hu, a senior member of the Chinese Communist Party who is also a PhD graduate of Harvard and his current advisor and Columbia University. Spring Education disputed that he was a member of the Communist Party but declined to provide any details about his political affiliation.
In Chelsea, Basis has a high school in Manhattan, offering grades 6 to 12. The company is owned by a Hong Kong company whose CEO has been named as a member of the Chinese Communist Party.Stefano GiovanniniFred Hu, a Harvard graduate and member of the CCP, is the founder of Primavera Capital Group, a firm based in Hong Kong that owns Basis Independent private schools in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Primavera Capital’s links to Basis were first highlighted in late September when the Florida Department of Education suspended public scholarships to other schools owned by Spring Education in the state, accusing them of having ties to the CCP that were an “immediate threat” to students and the public. welfare.
Through Spring Education, Primavera Capital Hu bought the founders of Basis, Michael and Olga Block, for an undisclosed amount in 2019.
The pair, both economists, had established at least four Basis schools in China, according to the Basis Global website, before the deal.
Soon after, the Blocks went on a real estate spree, snapping up an $8.4 million penthouse in a Tribeca tower and a series of sprawling properties in their home state of Arizona, including a $6.7 million “sprawling modern masterpiece” estate in a posh suburb. from Phoenix.
Basis was founded by Michael Block (center) and his wife, Olga Block (right), economists who wanted to emulate the rigorous curriculum they saw abroad. They are seen with Hadley Ruggles (left), former Red Hook school principal. Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Shortly after selling their Elementary School to a company controlled by Fred Hu, economists Michael and Olga Block bought a spacious condo in the Tower 57 floors designed by Herzog & de Meuron architects in Tribeca.
Under its ultimate owner Communist CEO, Basis has expanded its network. Last year, it opened two Foundation Independent Schools in Silicon Valley – where Spring Education has its headquarters.
There are now 10 independent Basic schools across the country.
And last year, Primavera acquired test preparation company Princeton Review and online tutoring platform Tutor.com, continuing its drive into the education sector.
Although the Basis school told parents in a disclaimer that its parent company, Spring Education Group, was controlled by Primavera, which it said was “self-owned by Chinese people living in Hong Kong”, the school did not admit to Communist links.
A source with knowledge of the school said there is “nothing hidden or secret” about them, and that Primavera does not set the curriculum.
The chain offers grades 3 through 12 at its Red Hook location in Brooklyn. Helayne Seidman
The schools are “thoroughly reviewed by the federal government,” the source said, adding that Hu “has nothing to do with how the schools are run.”
Hu is a senior party member in China, a status first reported by the Financial Times. However, a spokesperson for Spring Education Group told The Post that Hu is not a member of the CCP.
But Hu has previously lectured at the Communist Party School in Beijing, and advised the Chinese government on debt restructuring.
He is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Consultative Conference, a body that helps spread the CCP’s message to other elite figures, including technology, academic and business leaders.
“This famous economist from Hunan is considered a ‘world symbol’ and one of the most influential investors in China,” according to a 2017 post on the CCP website.
Hu grew up in Hunan province, has a master’s degree in engineering from Tsinghua University and a doctorate in economics from Harvard University, where he remains an adviser to the Kennedy School and Harvard itself, through its global advisory council.
In downtown Brooklyn, Basis teaches pre-K through 2nd grade. Mandarin is in the curriculum in all schools.Stefano Giovannini
That’s not his only connection to the US: He’s also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations’ “global advisory board,” and an advisor to Columbia University’s Jerome A. Chazen International Business Institute.
Hu has also been a delegate to the World Economic Forum, which holds its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
The WEF website states that “he initiated and led investment transactions” in companies such as Alibaba Group and ByteDance, the parent company of the social media platform TikTok.
But last month, Spring Education’s Communist ties came into focus when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ education department moved against four of its schools in the state, two in the greater Orlando area and two in greater Fort Lauderdale.
It announced that “through a thorough investigation,” it had concluded that Lower and Upper Sagemont Preparatory Schools in Weston, Parke House Academy in Winter Park and Park Maitland School in Winter Park “have direct links with the CCP and their links constitute an imminent threat . to the health, safety, and welfare of the students of this school and the public.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took action against four Spring Education schools in the state, stripping them of state scholarship funds after concluding they were a risk to students and public safety for their “CCP links.”
A spokeswoman for Spring Education, the parent company, told The Post that the company was not contacted in advance by the Florida governor’s office.
“We… are looking for more information on the basis of this decision,” he said. “In the meantime, we will work directly with our families to ensure they can continue to enroll in our schools.”
In New York City, Mandarin was in the curriculum, and before the Communist-backed buyout.
In 2016, students were invited to demonstrate their language skills to Chinese diplomats, with the school reposting an article from the China Press in 2016 praising their abilities.
“At the Brooklyn location, students learn Mandarin with visual cues and songs,” the article said. “Students from every grade are happy to learn Mandarin and become conversational after a year of studying. The school also has a popular Chinese choir club where students learn and sing Chinese songs.”
Hu as a member of the Chinese Communist Party owes a debt of gratitude to the country’s leader, Xi Jinping. Getty Images
In addition, students participated in Lunar New Year celebrations, learned Chinese calligraphy and drew and analyzed Chinese films, according to a report.
The Basis Network opened its first school in Tucson, Arizona, in 1998 after founder Michael Block, an economics professor, and his Prague-born wife, Olga, wanted a school that offered the rigor they found in education systems abroad.
“These schools are consistently recognized as one of the best private schools in our area and have a track record of delivering excellent educational outcomes, which is why parents choose us,” a Spring Education spokesperson told The Post on Tuesday.
“Our schools are locally operated, comply with local, state and federal laws, and have no affiliation with any government or political party, whether foreign or domestic.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
