Last year, a terrific documentary was produced about the extraordinary chess team at I.S. 318 in Brooklyn. The film is called “Brooklyn Castle.” Its producer and one of the star players were on the Jon Stewart “Daily Show,” and the chess program was also featured in Paul Tough’s book “How Children Succeed.”
The chess program at this inner-city middle school is phenomenal. Most of the players are black and Hispanic. They work very hard, and their team has won more chess championships than any other school in the nation. The teachers are fantastic. If you see the film, you will be reminded about why public education is a treasure in America.
The strange thing about the film is that it starts off as a somewhat conventional tale about poor kids who overcome the odds and succeed, but midway through the film, it turns into a struggle for survival as the kids and teachers learn that the city cut their budget. Somehow, the students sell enough candy bars and dream up enough gimmicks to pay heir way to the next championship, and life goes on. But at the end of “Brooklyn Castle,” you understand how precarious this project is. There is no funding from Bill Gates or Eli Broad or the Walton Family for one of the most inspiring stories in American education today.
Well, it has happened again. Mayor Bloomberg cut the budget, and there is no money for after school programs like the chess team at I.S. 318. Unless the kids can raise $20,000, the famous chess team is dead.
About a month ago, Eva Moskowitz held a fundraiser for her Success Academy charter school chain and raised $7 million in one night.
Wouldn’t you think that just one of those hedge fund managers would adopt the chess program at I.S. 318?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Great example of why most of funds that students generate should go directly to the school. The school can decide on its priorities. I’ve read about this chess team and think it’s wonderful.
Also, Diane wrote, “Unless the kids can raise $20,000, the famous chess team is dead.”
But according to the newspaper story, it sounds like the final decision City Council/Mayor decision has not yet been
“So far, city officials and members of the city council are trying to hammer out a budget which is due by June 30. The current budget on the table calls for $130 million to be cut from child care and after-school programs.
Teachers and students at the school said they’d be crushed if the program was axed.”
My hope is that the newspaper story will help convince the mayor & city council to retain more $ for after-school programs.
If not, yes, I certainly hope some wealthy folks will step in as it sounds like they have in the past to insure the program continues.
But long term, why not have most funds that students generate flow to the school? (Yes, I realize it’s not just who gets to decision, it’s how much is available to spent)
But if most flows go to the school, the educators (and if they are wise families whose youngsters attend the school, and in some cases, students) can make decisions about the school’s priorities.
“But according to the newspaper story, it sounds like the final decision City Council/Mayor decision has not yet been”
This is a budget dance that happens every year. In the past much of the city’s proposed cuts have been restored, although not all.
A hedge fund manager wouldn’t adopt this chess team because there is little or no money to be made of of them. It wouldn’t be a “good investment”.
Agreed! For the hedge funders, giving money to a charter school is an investment that will pay off later when school privatization lets them profit off of the “education industrial complex.” Giving money to the chess team is not a financially profitable investment, it would just help the children. They clearly don’t care about helping children.
CPS just announced that it will take 2/3rds of the revenue from cell phone towers on the schools. Before this, the schools had the revenue to meet its needs.
How about asking Warren Buffett for a little pocket change? Anyone know how to contact him by email?
As the newspaper article makes clear, the school has raised tens of thousands of dollars over the years to support the team (and thousands this year). Do any of you know who contributed in the past? I don’t know…thought some of you might.
Here’s some bitter irony. Why the DYCD (Department of Youth and Community Development) has been removing funds from the Afterschool funding streams, they’ve been increasing funds to a different stream – start up funds for charter schools!
In D14 – IS318’s district (and ours), last year we lost around $500K to start up funds to several charters in our district!
Perfect example of a manufactured “crisis”. Because there’s such a burning “crisis”, we the people are supposed to give up funding for things that benefit us. But when an opportunity arises to funnel money to a connected corporate crony, the “crisis” conveniently melts away and we’re all supposed to conveniently look the other direction.
I fail to understand how a program like chess can cost $20,000. As a former principal I got all kinds of programs going with little or no money. There are grants out there, there are volunteers out there, there are retirees out there with lots of energy and PTA’s. I could go on and on. Blaming lack of arts programs and chess programs on budget considerations is inconceivable. Find a way that doesn’t cost money or very little money.
I coordinate a chess program at an urban elementary school – just the cost of instruction is thousands of dollars for the year for 65 kids on my team. We aren’t talking about a kickball team that can be run by any teacher happy to hang out and supervise. The basic money we raise and fees we charge to students includes our equipment and a coach but includes no tournament fees and no way for our students to even get to tournaments. At the end of the day, the only kids who get to compete are those who can pay their own way. Chess isn’t a priority – we don’t get a dime from our school or our district to run this. You really need to watch Brooklyn Castle to understand. We have one teacher in our school who plays chess and parents who volunteer their time. The point is that why should affluent schools get after school, enriching activities, but poor minority kids get the shaft?
The team travels to other states, and the money has to come from the school because the children won’t get the money from their parents because they don’t have it. Also, they are not only winning middle school championships nationally, but also HIGH SCHOOL championships. There is a lot more at stake here with this chess program then there would be at a typical elementary school.
I am an assistant chess coach in an urban school district and I agree the costs can grow very quickly. Much like any sport, there is travel involved. This is a pay to play endeavor that involves entry fees and travel expenses. There are many tournaments in-town but in order to play other competitors of higher caliber you must travel. Then there is also USCF memberships in order to participate in rated tournaments. Where we are, the coach is always in fund raising mode. Calling donors and expressing thanks, preparing budgets, and trying to network and land media spots to raise more money. This year alone we participated in about 10 tournaments in the city, about half a dozen tournaments outside of the city – including two state tournaments and supernationals, we also purchased sets, consumable workbooks, and computer programs and the budget was set around 30k. But the pay off can be enormous. We’re looking at academic achievement to see if there is influence, for one. I.S. 318’s team is sending many of their players to the best high schools in the city. One young lady got a full ride to, I believe, Stanford. For another, many of the scholastic tournaments offer scholarships for the top players.
Furthermore, increased funding becomes important for us because we provide everything free of charge. Most of our players, much like the general student body, are on free or reduced lunch. As a result, we make an effort to provide everything free of charge. Other teams are often made up of students from the middle or upper class. Parents often make up the difference. In our community, much like that of I.S. 318, that’s not always an option. This illustrates the influence of privilege on education, where students perform better with more resources. Should they have the same resources, the performance divide dissipates.
Get them to crowd-source. I would contribute. One of the perks could be a lesson.
I’ve long wondered why someone hasn’t found a way to do that using the Web. “Micro-fundraising,” a la Kickstarter.
It should be noted that while the mayor’s proposed budget for the city is slightly smaller than last year’s, the education portion is bigger by 4.5% — up to $24.9 billion, or about $23,000 per student.
I think it’s fair to ask why this school has to look to another city agency or the private sector to find its chess program. The money’s there; it’s a question of where it’s spent.
“it’s a question of where it’s spent.”
Always a fun game.
The Daily News story quotes “Chess teacher Elizabeth Spiegel.”
Google tells me Elizabeth Spiegel works for Chess-in-the-Schools Inc., which presumably the company that the city is paying to run this program.
The city’s records show that so far, in fiscal year 2013, NYC has paid Chess-in-the-Schools Inc. $310,944.
You can see for yourself here:
http://www.checkbooknyc.com/spending/transactions/yeartype/B/year/114/vendornm_exact/chess%20in%20the%20schools
Interestingly, the largest payment made in this period — $200,000 — is categorized as “Central Administration.”
Something to consider the next time someone tells you how much money there would be to fund after-school programs (like maybe chess programs) if it weren’t for the high “administrative” expenses at “Tweed.” Apparently chess is one of Tweed’s administrative expenses.
Sorry your Google research is way off. Mrs. Spiegel is a Dept of Ed teacher for the last 5 years or so. Chess in the Schools is NOT affiliated with IS 318 in any way. The funding in question is part of the DYCD support for afterschool programs that is currently in danger.
So tell me what you know. CITS is “NOT affiliated with IS 318 in any way” — but it was until last year? What’s the corporation that replaced CITS?
So Spiegel used to work at CITS and now has a full-time gig? Good for her — it’s got to beat the pay at CITS (unless you’re CEO).
Also, Chess-in-the-Schools Inc. paid its CEO $200,000 in 2010.
Click to access 13-6119036_990_201106.pdf
FLERP! Thanks for pointing out the Form 990. In addition to a president who was paid $197, 308, there was a VP who was paid $121,835. Are we sure this is the same group that is working with the students at the elementary school mentioned in the movie?
The newspaper story says that the student would need to raise an additional $20K for the program to continue. IF this is the group working with these students, and if they still have the President and VP who are paid those sums, wouldn’t it be possible for each to reduce their compensation by 10K to insure that the program continues?
Looks like the same group to me.
Sure, I assume that they could reduce their salary to make up the 20K. But the parents of the students could also pay it. Or the teachers at the school could. Or I could. The problem is that, in my experience at least, people don’t like to give up money when they don’t have a ton of it.
Thank you Tim for knowing the budget of N.Y. This is outrageously high to the rest of the nation. How can they have any financial problems with this very high income/student? How would they like the about $11,000 of LAUSD or most schools lower than that level as LAUSD receives $2,000 more than the average Unified School District in California and they cry poor, in fact, the superintendent Deasy, with the phony PHD and work record, and the board president Garcia have testified that LAUSD has only $4,800/student when at that time it was about $11,000/student. Can you balance your books if you do not know your revenue? N.Y. is a “Cash Cow” for the billionaires once again. N.Y. take back your schools. Get rid of mayoral control. Have a revolution and shut them down. Has anyone there gone seriously into their budget? Doesn’t seem like it to me as there are no statements from anyone there that would lead me to know that they know any details. Most do not even know their revenue. Tim is the only other person so far who has known that? Why? If you do not know your budget you have no chance. This is how we are taking down Mayor Villaraigosa’s PLAS and LAUSD. I know budgets and can easily find fraud. Someone there must also know or is there anyone who has taken on this task except those taking the money? You have to work hard to mess up that amount of money as at D.C. They get an A+++ for destruction or a 6.0.
Those poor, poor billionaires aka Bloomberg have those deep pockets. Keep closing those schools and stealing the land they sit on so you can be an even bigger poor, poor billionaire. There are many expletives that come to mind right now! Of course it will be those that have nothing that will bailout the program.
Isn’t is a travesty that Mayor Bloomberg spent 100K on the LA school board race, but can’t pony up a smaller amount for a chess club in his own city. Shows what he is really all about. And it isn’t the kids.
Indeed. He probably has a loose $20k lost in his sofa cushions.
That sums it all up beautifully. I hope someone calls him out on this publicly.
Bloomberg appears to be one of the larger private funders of this.
Just for the heck of it, I took a look at the previous year’s tax return for Chess-in-the-Schools Inc., the company that receives the city funds to run the chess program at this and other NYC schools. Then I looked at a couple others. It was worth it.
In 2009, the CEO — Marley Kaplan — paid herself $226,000.
In 2008, she paid herself $244,000.
In 2007, she paid herself $285,000.
In her defense, her salary is trending downward. At this rate, her salary will be reasonable within a decade.
To recap, from 2007-2010, Marley Kaplan took home just shy of $1 million from this charity.
Maybe Ms. Kaplan could pony up the $20k?
Again your facts are incorrect. IS 318 is not affiliated with Chess in the Schools. In fact, CIS removed 318 from their program last year. This non-profit decided to no longer support the largest and most successful chess team in the US because they wanted to work with schools who were not successful.
What’s the name of the new corporation that’s charging the school $60,000 per year to run its chess program?
If you see the documentary “Brooklyn Castle,” you would learn that the cost of the chess program at I.S.318 is devoted to transporting a large chess team and teachers to chess championships in other cities. If the school can’t pay for transportation, the team can’t go to tournaments.
As VP John Galvin points out, the I.S. 318 program is not subsidized by Chess in Schools.
See the film. It is really wonderful. Or google the Jon Stewart episode where the producer appears with one of the students. The best moment is when this strapping young man says, “I love my teachers.” And the audience breaks into applause. They love their teachers too!
Is this current?
http://is318chessteam.com/help-the-team/
Are you seriously arguing that extracurricular success is “why public education is a treasure in America”?
Good for the teachers and kids though, I hope they can keep it going.
Are you seriously arguing that an extracurricular is “why public education is a treasure in America”?
Good for the kids and teachers though, I hope they can keep it going.
If you see the film and see the kids and teachers and the diversity mingled with the sense of community, you will see why I call this an exemplification of what is older full about public education. Don’t take my word for it. See “Brooklyn Castle.”
If you wish to watch the movie you can rent it or buy it from Amazon to stream on your home device. It’s about $10.
sp,ebocy give Warren buffet a call. He just auctioned off a lunch meeting for $1M for charity…
i’m not a hedge fund manager but i am certainly interested in helping
http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2013/06/funding-brooklyn-castle.html