Friday, June 20, 2008

Re: rooms allocated to PAVE Academy at PS15

Thank you so much for the clarification. It's always helpful to have you essentially call PTA members (one of whom spoke to you directly in the park) and staff members liars.
 
How's your progress on finding a private location for PAVE? That's the core of the issue here. I trust you're working hard on that, especially since Civic Builders and the Robertson Foundation encourage charter schools to find private locations - and provide financial and other support for exactly that purpose. With all the new construction going on in Red Hook right now, that should be top priority for you right now.
 
Thank you.
 
Emily Brown

 
On 6/20/08, Spencer Robertson <srobertson@paveacademy.org> wrote:
Hello Emily. I haven't heard from you in a while. I hope you are well. I would like to clarify a few things.

We have been allocated 4 classrooms. I will give you the numbers if you would like: Rooms 201, 239, 245, and 246. None of the other 3 rooms we have been allocated are full classrooms (but one could be considered a half-classroom). One will be used as a pull-out room for students whose IEPs indicate that they require additional services. The other 2 rooms are small administrative rooms where our non-instructional staff (myself, office manager, director of operations and finance, Dean of Students and Families,Social Worker, etc.) will work. In addition these rooms will contain a photocopier, our ATS computer, etc. It should also be noted that this allocation process was a smooth one where both sides voices (PAVE and PS 15) were taken into account. Further, both PAVE and PS 15 leadership are content with the arrangement. I hope that helps clear that up.

As for the gloating in a public park about lap-tops for every student, hmmmmmm. Sorry, can't help you there becuase it never happened and its not true. Did you see me gloating in a public park? I did attend the Red Hook Arts Festival a couple of weeks ago but I do not recall gloating or having a single discussion about computers. Just so that we are all clear on the matter, PAVE will have some lap-top computers but certainly not one per student. I think it breaks down more closely to 1 laptop per 5 students.

Thank you for your continued concern. I hope that this helps clarify the matter and that you enjoy the summer.

PAVE on!

Spencer
----- Original Message -----
From: "Emily" <emilyholiday@gmail.com>
To: RBocchi2@schools.nyc.gov, "White John" <JWhite8@schools.nyc.gov>, "Michael Duffy" <MDuffy12@schools.nyc.gov>, "Spencer Robertson" <srobertson@paveacademy.org>, JKlein@nycboe.net
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2008 11:17:40 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: rooms allocated to PAVE Academy at PS15

I'd like to know how and why 8 rooms were allocated to the PAVE Academy at
PS15, including the Science room, when we were told they would only need 4
to 5 rooms? Is there a legitimate need for not only so many rooms, but for
taking away a room our school had allocated for instruction in a key
subject?

Mr. Robertson's recent public statements in a community park about having
obtained additional funding and being able to give all of his students
laptop computers are a perfect object lesson for the children of Red Hook
about poor sportsmanship; while most of us are teaching our children about
the value of fair play, he apparently feels it's appropriate to gloat about
his ability to secure large amounts of additional funding and take resources
away from a public school, while PS15 has lost $1 million from its budget as
well as a science room. This is incredibly divisive and parasitic, and
demonstrates once again that he has no intention of working with PS15 in a
cooperative way.

I realize that the Department of Education doesn't feel that it needs to be
accountable to communities, but I do expect a reasonable response to this,
and I will continue to pursue this issue until I receive one.

Emily Brown
--
"Never underestimate the power of a small, dedicated group of people to
change the world; indeed, that is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret
Mead

Read my blog, Charter Free PS15 at http://charter-free-ps15.blogspot.com/



--
"Never underestimate the power of a small, dedicated group of people to change the world; indeed, that is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Read my blog, Charter Free PS15 at http://charter-free-ps15.blogspot.com/

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