The Village Voice has a fascinating article about the battle between the charter schools that moved into the gentrifying neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn and the parents who resisted.
The “Superman” story goes out the window. The schools are not broken, and parents are not crying out to be “saved” by Eva Moskowitz and her husband, each of whom has their own charter.
The narrative of “Won’t Back Down” is turned upside-down, because in this case it is the parents trying to save their neighborhood public school who won’t back down.
And the tabloids claim that the unions-must-be-behind-it-all doesn’t explain why parents are up in arms.
This is a fresh take on a story that matters in cities across the nation.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Wonder of Reading. I remember them here in LAUSD. They got paid lots of money to put in libraries and books and the other people who were doing it for free were told where to go. Does this make sense yet and the same people in L.A. and N.Y. once again? The game is on to take all the money and power of controlling young minds for your purposes all at once through privatization. Think about the statement of only $3 million of $12 million is government money. That make them private and unsustainable if a public school if their private donations dried up for only one year. PLAS, Mayor Villaraigosa’s schools in LAUSD have that problem but no where near as bad. At Roosevelt High School, a PLAS school, Marshall Tuck, the CEO of PLAS, recently announced, on video online at George1la, that Roosevelt High School received from LAUSD $9,000/student. In the recent budget for one of the 7 small schools with 8 principals we were given a budget of $4,027/student. I then asked him where was the rest of the money or almost $5,000/student and he did not answer. PLAS also has donations of $2.933 million for student computers and they are bragging about spending $200,000 and cannot answer the question of “Where is the other $2.733 million.”
I am asking if others such as in these cases are asking in public these detailed financial and other questions and if they are videoing them and loading on You Tube, a website or wherever so others can see what is going on. There is no heresay when in video or taking out of context or misquoting.
Thank you so much for featuring our fight against “Success Academy” and “Citizens of the World” charter schools! Everyone is welcome to LIKE our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/WilliamsburgGreenpointParents or follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/WAGPOPS The fight continues. For those other communities fighting a similar fight, here’s the 45 page letter we wrote to SUNY: http://www.scribd.com/doc/94382088/WAGPOPS-Letter-to-Suny-Opposing-Citizens-of-the-World-Charter-Schools and the papers we served SUNY at http://www.scribd.com/doc/122236115/WAGPOPS-lawsuit-against-SUN
Very parallel to our story in Los Altos, CA (the #1 ranked elementary school district in California), especially the “parents are pissed” part:
http://bullisCharterScam.org/
This article prompted me to check out THINK Literacy. It turns out that Eva Moskowitz is one of the two authors. Does that mean that in addition to her exorbitant salary she is earning royalties from a program that is being sold to her own schools?
I attended the public hearing on the application of Success Academy in DIstrict 2 in Manhattan last May. Even though the meeting was announced only a few days in advance of the hearing, dozens and dozens of parents showed up to protest the application. No one from District 2 spoke up in support of it. During the hearing, it was revealed that no one from the SUNY charter board was in attendance to hear the public comments nor would they be receiving a transcript. However, Success Academy filmed everyone for their own purposes.
It was incredibly disheartening that the two applications for District 2 were approved. I truly saw no evidence of support for it–only dismay and anger.
I strongly urge everyone who visits this blog and cares about “a better education for all” to click on the link.
Here is one of the [many] money quotes: “Whether they are not-for-profit or for-profit, and they can be either, charter chains are businesslike—and they compete aggressively for students.”
Bingo! So when you read the article, ponder the choices the major players in the charterite/privatizer movement provide us. If you think like a consumer, then there is nothing troubling about pitting neighbor against neighbor, about tiny minorities at one given moment in time making decisions for generations yet to come, about making the success of some children come at the expense of many others, about the major players engaging in deplorable win-at-all-costs business tactics. In fact, you will revel in the glory of your brand conquering over the “competition.” On the other hand, if you think like a citizen who is concerned about community and sustainability, about transparency and democratic processes, about giving all parents real choices about securing a quality education for their children, about individuals and organizations and all parts of the community conducting themselves in ethical and moral fashion, you will have good grounds for opposing the charterites/privatizers.
Some of the best parts of the article are in the comments that follow. Then consider: regardless of the theory of how charters are supposed to work in ideal circumstances, what is actually happening?
So the charter folks think parents can’t think and want to blame “the unions”? What a bunch of sanctimonious fools. I’m insulted and I don’t even live in New York. I salute those Brooklynites who fight back, Diane included.
I think the comment on the right side of the young girl on the Voice cover sums it up best. Who are you to decide for us that we need a charter school? Not to be too cynical, but it appears that the school/charter debate will only change or tip, when it starts to affect the middle-class, affluent, or well educated parents who like their neighborhood schools, regardless of real or perceived short-comings.
“Who the hell are you? How do you get to decide we need a new school?”
That quote says it all, does it not?
Wonderful! We can all draw inspiration from this story. It would be good for the many of us, all around the country, to contact these parents in Brooklyn and apply their methods to our situations.
We parents are the ONLY ones the Privatizers and their compliant hack-politicians are afraid of.
They no longer fear “the crusading reporter”—as there are few of them left since the advent of “News As A Business Enterprise” took over actual journalism.
With some exceptions—like Karen Lewis and the Chicago teachers—the teachers unions, in this current climate of economic stress, appear intimidated and compliant, apparently convinced that public opinion is now fixed against them and they should just try to “go along” and hopefully hold on to the little Thebes gained over the years.
We, the parents of America’s school children, are the only ones who can still send a shiver up the spines of those who see our children as a “market” to be tapped and fully exploited, see our school buildings, educators and staff, as “unnecessary overhead” that should be cut to the bone, and see our education tax dollars as “revenue” that should ultimately go into their private accounts.
Parents are the only ones who can shift the story from the increasingly outdated and inaccurate media narrative of “Teachers Union versus so-called ‘Ed Eeformers'”
As this story demonstrates, we parents have the power to stop the Privatization Assault on our schools; let’s use it!
Thank you, Puget Sound. Yes, it is the parents who can get us off this not-so-merry-go-round. From Mike Klonsky’s Small Talk Blog: 300 (out of 400) Garfield H.S. students did NOT take the MAPs when parents wrote them opt out letters in support of the teachers’ boycott. (Supt. Banda had administrators give the tests.)
When parents opt their kids out of testing and fight the privatization, there will be no market for the greedy to exploit, thus the end of Pear$on & their compadres, the end of school closings and teacher firings based on test scores* and the eventual return to American democracy.Chicago hasn’t stopped fighting–communities and parents have been showing up at school closing hearings in droves–one such meeting had over 1,000 in attendance and had to close the doors to more who wanted to come. As you read in another post, it’s happening in Texas, it’s happening (students protesting) in Portland. Join Parents Across America–go to their website. There is an upcoming Midwest conference in Ft. Wayne, Indiana which, I believe, is Saturday,
February 23rd.
*Also, be very aware of the newest excuse to close schools (as we’ve gotten wise to the testing fallacies)–building under utilization (which, certainly, cannot be used as a school closing excuse in NYC!) Stay one step ahead, folks.
Yes WE can!
Muy bueno !