I think this is either an over-reaction or a bit disgenuine. I was careful not to suggest (and certainly not argue) their research be dismissed for any ad-homin

I think this is either an over-reaction or a bit disgenuine. I was careful not to suggest (and certainly not argue) their research be dismissed for any ad-hominem reason. The fact that they are members of some brand-new academic* unit that claims to be "for the Advancement of Free Enterprise Education" suggests that there's some non-zero chance they knew the conclusion about public spending on education before they started. I raised a small set of facts without making any claim/appeal/accusation of anything sensational or conspiratorial. If researchers at the Colloquium for the Advancement of Drink Your Damn Milk publish a study concluding you should drink your damn milk, it's reasonable to weight their conclusions accordingly until you see how others with more domain knowledge assess them.