News Copy, New York: Charter Schools

News Copy, New York: Charter Schools: "charter schools"
This is a blog with some odd analyses of the charter school situation, and it also has a batch of links to mainstream news outlet blogs that may be useful for additional research.

As Bid to Privatize Schools Ends, Supporters Second-Guess Effort - New York Times

This is somewhat deep history on the opposition to privatization issue, but is relevant because there appears to be an ongoing pattern of the DOE giving less support to public schools in less affluent neighborhoods - and possibly neighborhoods where they feel there isn't going to be much organized resistance.

As Bid to Privatize Schools Ends, Supporters Second-Guess Effort - New York Times

Public Advocate for the City of New York – How We Help

Public Advocate for the City of New York – How We Help
Click on this link to find out more about how the Public Advocate (Betsy Gotbaum)'s office can help with education issues.

An Opposing Viewpoint

Hi Emily: I do have had extensive experience with charter schools & space issues in NYC. Think about it. Schools are large, fixed spaces. Communities that serve these schools fluctuate in size. This means that over time some buildings become very overcrowded and other buildings become very underutilized. The DOE places multiple schools into underutilized buildings to minimize the overcrowding in other schools. . The DOE has moved past the idea one building, one school; it just doesn’t work anymore. I was at a school building recently that had 3 schools (a K-8 DOE school, a DOE 75 special ed school & a new charter school). The school building was still dramatically under-utilized. Its capacity was 1400 and it only had 800 students. The charter school was leaving, and the DOE was intending to place a large second elementary school in the newly freed up space. I just checked & your school building is one of the most under-utilized elementary school buildings in Brooklyn. . It has space for 762 students and as of 06-07 had only 409 students enrolled. You are at 53% capacity. (http://source.nycsca.org/pdf/bluebook/classic_report_final.pdf) If you can fight off this particular charter school, that doesn’t mean that the DOE won’t turn around and fill your school with something else, like overflow from another school or a 75 special ed school. By the way, the ones that suffer most from this arrangement are the charter school, not the existing school. The existing principal has the upper hand in deciding whether or not the new school gets to use the gym or the auditorium or the play space. So why don’t charter schools get their own facilities? Well, they are public schools, but they only get 70 cents on the dollar for educating each child. The missing 30 cents is the money that the district spends on facilities. So they have no choice but to go into DOE schools. Your school does have good reviews, but that doesn’t mean that it works for every parent in your neighborhood. There are parents on the charter school side who would like a choice besides PS 15. In my experience, a strong and positive school culture comes from parents, teachers and the leadership at the school. There is no correlation between a school being isolated in a building and its having a family and friendly feeling. Hope this helps answer your question, - Elena

a blurb from Class Size Matters (sorry it's after the fact)

Leonie Haimson to nyceducationne

A total of 15 new charter schools are being established next year – a record for NYC.
 
 See message below from mom at PS 15 in Red Hook in D15 in Brooklyn – which is being forced to accept a charter school in its building against the wishes of parents and staff at the school.  She has posted a blog at : http://charter-free-ps15.blogspot.com/  that you should check out and post comments on.
 
There is also a meeting tomorrow night at P.S. 123 about a new charter school, Harlem Success Academy, one in Eva Moskowitz' chain of charter schools, that is being placed in their building against the will of the CEC in D5 and parents at the school.
 
TIME: 5:30 PM
SPEAKER'S LIST:  5:30- 6:15 PM
DAY:  Tuesday
DATE:  April 1, 2008
LOCATION:  301 W. 140th Street| Village of Harlem
 
 
Meanwhile, see article in NY Sun here about the recruiting efforts of these schools, that are apparently being given access to public school parents names and addresses through the DOE mail house. http://www.nysun.com/news/new-york/charters-go-new-recruitment-lengths
 
 
Leonie Haimson
Executive Director
Class Size Matters
124 Waverly Pl.
New York, NY 10011
212-674-7320
leonie@att.net
www.classsizematters.org
http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/
 
Please make a tax-deductible contribution to Class Size Matters now!

feedback from another school

Hello
This is my two cents:
My school, PS 295, shares space with MS 443. We were in this building first. Sharing works out just fine.

Shari Pulido
Parent Coordinator
PS 295
718-965-0390  x4105
347-563-5367  cell

Here's a real downer...

I got this message recently, and it's depressing:

DOE has made several decisions with or without parental consent or
concerns, and they will continue to do so. Please keep in mind the NYC
School System is run by the Mayor??
The decisions are done deals.
CEC
District 181106 East 95th Street, Rm. 112Brooklyn, NY 11236Phone:
718-566-6037Fax: 718-649-7074cec18@schools.nyc.gov

Advice From The Trenches - URGENT! PLEASE READ THIS!

I'd like to share something that another parent affiliated with another school emailed me yesterday. I think it's very important to pay attention to the experiences of others who have been in the trenches over this (and related) issues.

John White is an arrogant man with a corporate mentality who has no sense
of what it is to be a child or a parent in the public school system -- nor does
he have the intention or interest in learning. He makes changes that
affect 1000s of children based on superficial numbers that he has in a piece of
paper. Another thing that we've learned through this process is that no
one in the DOE is trustworthy. The way to battle them is to move quickly,
because the more time passes the more difficult it is for them to
retreat. We were able to mobilize more than 350 parents in 3 days, had an
emergency PTA meeting with the Superintendent where the voices of the parents
were unified. We planned a press conference for the following week and let
them know that we were going to have the press conference. After the press
release went out and they read it, they called an emergency meeting two days
before the scheduled press conference. The other issue that you need
to consider is that the new Charter school will affect your school even more now
with the anticipated average $100,000 cut per school through the State and City
budget cuts. The Charter School will represent additional cuts on top of
those Citywide losses. Is the Charter School planned for the same
grades/services currently provided by PS 15? We can't stress enough
the importance of becoming organized and unified as a school community.

The DOE is stalling...

I may have mentioned that I spoke to Michael Duffy yesterday, asking when a meeting would be scheduled to present the charter school issue to the Red Hook community, and he couldn't tell me when it would be - he mentioned that a colleague of his was the one that would be making that decision. He took my email address and said they'd be in touch. (Please, someone get me an oxygen tank in case I pass out from holding my breath!)

 

Today, I got an interesting voice mail from a very reputable source who I can't name at the moment, telling me that often the DOE doesn't schedule these meetings until they've already made a decision  - and the meetings are to present what's essentially a fait accompli, and warning me that we shouldn't be lulled into a false sense of security just because the placement of the charter school has been temporarily put on hold. At the very moment I was listening to the message, my cell phone rang, and it was a fellow named Chris calling from the Office of Charter Schools. I asked him point blank when the DOE planned to schedule a meeting, because the DOE is in violation of education law if it insists on placing the charter school in our public school without holding the community meeting first. He told me he didn't know; I asked him if he could find out who was in charge of making that decision, and how I could arrange to be notified - and he claimed not to know who handles these decisions. I told him I found that incredibly difficult to believe; I also let him know that we needed to have the meeting scheduled before June, because the community was entitled to have their voices heard on this issue, have a dialogue, and be included in the decision making process - and asked again whether he could find out who was in charge of booking the meetings and when it would be, and get back to me. He continued to be vague and unhelpful, which made me wonder why he'd bothered to call me in the first place. He said that the principal would be getting notification as soon as the DOE had scheduled the meeting, and that it would probably be scheduled before June. It's obnoxious that he called to essentially tell me NOTHING... and at the end of the conversation, I let him know that I'd be calling on a regular basis to follow up on this because it's critically important.

 

By the way, I've heard from various sources that the DOE often assumes that it can place charter schools in public schools where there won't be much resistance because they assume (often wrongly) that the PTA is not very strong or well organized or involved in the school's development and day-to-day operations. Let's show them that they've made a mistake about Red Hook!

Gmail - CEC 15 March Updates

Our situation is mentioned in this newsletter, and CEC 15 appears to be supportive of our side. http://mail.google.com/mail/?source=navclient#inbox/1190cb5db687dd68

Public School 123 space spat pits Eva Moskowitz against Harlem parents

Public School 123 space spat pits Eva Moskowitz against Harlem parents

Click the link above for a VERY interesting read, and see if you see some parallels. We're hardly alone in the fight between public and charter schools. This is an unusual story, though, because the apparently well-connected (or very much deluded about the extent of her power) head of THIS charter school brags that she'll fight back by bringing "hundreds" of parents supporting her school to a public meeting... can we all say CATFIGHT? Meow, meow.

DOE Lack of Response on when a community meeting will be scheduled...

I called Michael Duffy's office this afternoon to find out when the DOE was planning to schedule a meeting with the community and PS15 to discuss placing the PAVE Academy in PS15; he told me he didn't know, but would check with a colleague and email me an answer.

Hmmm.

I wonder whether having more people call in on a regular basis would prompt him to find out and let us know sooner. Here's the phone number: 212-374-5419; you'll reach an automated voice system - choose 5 for Mr. Duffy.

GrandCentral: The New Way to Use Your Phones

Apparently the NY Post is also interested in being kept in the loop on this issue.

GrandCentral: The New Way to Use Your Phones

At Charter School, Higher Teacher Pay - New York Times

Here's a very controversial charter school model....
At Charter School, Higher Teacher Pay - New York Times

Public vs. Charter Schools: A New Debate - New York Times

This is a somewhat old article, but shows that other schools have been in the same position as PS1, and that some of the official players are still the same...
Public vs. Charter Schools: A New Debate - New York Times

NEST M - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For an interesting story on what can happen when a school protests a proposed school sharing arrangement, check THIS out... some of you may remember hearing about this in the news a while back, but it's an interesting read.
NEST M - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Strength in Numbers? Another strategy...

Narger@aol.com Dear Emily, As a parent of two public school students, I am extremely sympathetic to your concerns. I just learned that IS 88, a middle school in Park Slope that just came off the "at risk list" two years ago is scheduled to have a Charter School placed in its building next year as well. It seems counter-ntuitive. The DOE should be looking for ways to improve its failing or non-erforming schools rather than saturating its successful schools and their facilities with additional students. I haven't had an opportunity to visit your blog, but I wanted to suggest, if you haven't consideredt already, that you work together with other schools that are expecting new Charter Schools next and that have received high grades and address this problem systemically, rather than trying to preserve the small school feel of only PS 15. The DOE knows there is strength in numbers and many successful schools will be seeing their student populations increase significantly next year. Have you considered contacting the Head of Parent Outreach? askmartine@schools.nyc.gov I hope this information is useful. Sincerely, Rachel Gertzog

Fwd: [Charter-Free PS15] New comment on Web Visitors.

I'm re-posting this more prominently so it's more visible to all ... and I appreciate the comment.

 

Now, of course, the question is WHEN this hearing will be scheduled? I've been trying to get the DOE to pin down a date and time, but I keep getting snarky responses from them, and based on my own prior experience in dealing with the DOE, they take their time and do things at THEIR convenience (rather than anyone else's) - and I'd hate to see this meeting take place in JUNE when there's no time for follow up if we don't get the results we want and need.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Anonymous <noreply-comment@blogger.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 31, 2008 at 5:02 PM
Subject: [Charter-Free PS15] New comment on Web Visitors.
To: emilyholiday@gmail.com


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Web Visitors":

NYS Charter School law states that there must be a public hearing prior to siting a charter school in an existing public school: http://www.newyorkcharters.org/documents/NYSCharterSchoolsActof1998.doc#S2853



Posted by Anonymous to Charter-Free PS15 at March 31, 2008 5:02 PM

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You can also reach me by phone at 917-720-7335.

Check out my digital photography at http://picasaweb.google.com/emilyholiday/EmilyBrown; I also have a short slideshow video at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4527071836788208173

Fwd: [Charter-Free PS15] New comment on General Question for Readers.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: involved parent <noreply-comment@blogger.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 31, 2008 at 10:55 PM
Subject: [Charter-Free PS15] New comment on General Question for Readers.
To: emilyholiday@gmail.com


involved parent has left a new comment on your post "General Question for Readers":

It may not be considered a "charter" school but we are in the same boat as you. We had one high school imposed on us and now they are leaving. DOE wants to place yet another high school on us and we are fighting them tooth and nail on it. To read our story click on my name above.



Posted by involved parent to Charter-Free PS15 at March 31, 2008 10:55 PM

--
You can also reach me by phone at 917-720-7335.

Check out my digital photography at http://picasaweb.google.com/emilyholiday/EmilyBrown; I also have a short slideshow video at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4527071836788208173

Fwd: Charter Schools being placed in existing public schools

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: CEC19 D19 <CEC19@schools.nyc.gov>
Date: Mon, Mar 31, 2008 at 1:29 PM
Subject: RE: Charter Schools being placed in existing public schools
To: emilyholiday@gmail.com


I'm sorry to hear that but if there wasn't a forum about it you can protest the whole thing.

Community Education Council 19
557 Pennsylvania Avenue Rm. 315
Brooklyn, New York 11207
(718) 272-8033

________________________________

From: Emily [mailto:emilyholiday@gmail.com]

Sent: Mon 3/31/2008 11:31 AM

To: shy1995@msn.com
Subject: Charter Schools being placed in existing public schools

I'm the mother of a student at PS15 in Red Hook, and as you may have heard, the Department of Education has decided to place a new charter school in our building starting next fall. Many of the parents connected with the school - and other members of the community - are quite upset by this. Our school has received high grades, and excels in serving its existing student population - and has small classes and a "family" feel that really supports the students in many positive ways. As part of the effort to protest this decision, I've set up a blog that provides substantial background on the issue, and I'd like to ask you to take a look at  your convenience, and if you have any suggestions or feedback on how we can successfuly block having a second school arbitrarily placed on our premises, we'd be glad to hear from you.

And just for the sake of democratic argument, if you have an interesting argument pro-charter schools, feel free to speak up on that as well.

Here's the link to the blog: http://charter-free-ps15.blogspot.com/

Thanks for your consideration -

Emily Brown

--
You can also reach me by phone at 917-720-7335.

Check out my digital photography at http://picasaweb.google.com/emilyholiday/EmilyBrown; I also have a short slideshow video at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4527071836788208173