A reader says that Eva Moskowitz’s plan to close her Success Academy charter schools and take 9,000 students to a political rally in Albany is illegal. The question is whether her schools are public schools or private schools. If they are private schools, they are not subject to Chancellor’s Regulations. But, if they are private schools, why did the Legislature give them free space in public buildings and require the city to pay their rent in private buildings?
He writes:
“As stated in Chancellor’s Regulations: D-130
“Personnel may not be involved in any activities, including fundraising, on behalf of any candidate, candidates, slate of candidates or political organization/committee during working hours.”
“Families For Excellent Schools is a political organization. This is completely illegal.
“http://schools.nyc.gov/…/4A351970-792D-48E1…/0/D130.pdf”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Another Reader: New York charter schools are LEAs (local education agencies) of New York State, not the NYC DOE. They are exempt from the chancellor’s regulations.
Tim,
A dual school system: separate and unequal. Not good for America, never was.
Tim, yet another example of why charters and publics can never be truly apples-to-apples comparisons. Charters function by significantly different rules and regulations. If they’re not playing the same game then how can they be compared?
That’s like comparing the Islanders to the Jets.
How does it make sense to create dozens or hundreds of LEAs (400 if each individual school were one but when you have networks, I don’t know the actual number).
Wasn’t Cuomo the one talking about consolidating school districts to free up money and create efficiency?
If we’re creating LEAs willy nilly we’re paying for a LOT of duplicate administrative services.
You figured that out but Cuomo cannot seem to grasp what a fool he is making of himself as he talks out of both sides of his mouth. Also, Albany media has not grasped that while Cuomo frequently bellows we have too much government…he wants to create more governments.
If charter schools are exempt from the chancellor’s regulations, how did Success Academy get my kindergarten child’s name from the DOE for their December mailing? To put it mildly, I was not pleased. I promptly complained to the DOE and the Mayor’s Office. This Success Academy nonsense has got to stop.
I don’t know how SA got your kid’s name, but however it got it, it doesn’t mean the chancellor’s regulations apply to charter schools.
How does Success Academy have access to my child’s name from the DOE? I know it came from the DOE, because my husband is the one who signed our child up via online registration and both their names were on the direct mailing.
How do we stop it?
Rich people make up the rules as they go along, assuming they even want rules.
The only rules they want are their Rule.
It is the same story, they are Public when they want taxoayer money but Private when anyone wants to check where the money went!
Given how much I disagree with you, I have to give you props on this one for a genuinely insightful comment.
There are least two regular commenters who are tastefully named “Tim”. You can tell us apart by our unique “gravatars”.
One “Tim” supports teachers and public schools, the other “Tim” supports charters
I support charters and traditional district schools, like the traditional zoned NYC DOE schools my own children attend. I support choice, especially for parents without the means or connections to find a better school for their child.
Tim, do you also support a salary of nearly $600,000 for Eva and $500,000 for Deborah Kenny at Harlem Village Academy Charter School or would you support a salary cap for charter school executives? In Néw Jersey, Governpr Christie imposed a salary cap for superintendents. Do you think it should apply to charters leaders too?
As you know full well, the majority of those charter salaries are paid by private donors. I have no more issue with that than I do with the donors who voluntarily pay the salaries of leaders who run other nonprofits.
I think that democratically elected school boards, the kind we don’t have here in New York City, should be able to compensate school leaders at whatever rate they believe represents the best interests of their system and its constituents. However, if you like to use dollars-per-student as a measurement, it should be pointed out that there are numerous superintendents who make more than Eva Moskowitz (some a lot more). Not just in boroughitis-afflicted New Jersey, but in NY State and Connecticut as well.
So are the teachers in the school State employees or private employees?
Public school advocates positioning for more clout and funding is self-interested, greedy and immediately suspect.
Charter school advocates positioning for more clout and funding is as pure as the driven snow and completely selfless.
That’s the rule we’re following here.
That’s because the free market, and everything associated with it, is beautiful, and social institutions, like the the government monopoly on education are ugly…..
Is there anyway to get a copy of the charter for these schools and/or business setup?
Someone please explain to me again, why public tax money iis going to non-public schools.
Why is my money being spent to bus thousands of parents and children in matching t-shirts to a political event in Albany?
We’d be remiss is we didn’t turn to this national ed reform “movement” leader for guidance on this.
What does Governor Christie think ?
“A day ahead of school budget elections statewide, Gov. Chris Christie today escalated his war of words with the state teachers’ union, accusing union representatives of “using the students like drug mules” to carry information about whether their parents planned to vote.”
Oh, right. He was talking about public school advocates. They’re just bad people. Unlike the “charter sector” which is never sullied by icky, dirty “politics”. They operate in a higher moral realm entirely.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/gov_chris_christie_accuses_nj.html
How about having wristbands made w/WWCD and a skull and crossbones embossed? (gag)
What is WWCD?
“What would Christie do?” sort of a play on WWJD?
I was a witness to last year’s ridiculous never-ending parade of children being “used” as a political bargaining chip. The absolute onslaught of kids, all in the same colored tee shirts (gee, who paid for those?), many carrying signs that were obviously just handed to them as they got off the “convoy” of buses making the trip up to Albany (gee, who paid for those?) was CRAZY! It just went on and on for hours.
The organization of the rally was all carefully orchestrated for maximum exposure to the media and so that the governor could make “his appearance” to save the day! Truth be told, it all came across as being so inappropriate and underhanded to use kids as pawns. The look on many of the younger kids’ faces told you right away that they had little idea as to why they were being forced to parade through the legislative office buildings holding a variety of adult-made signage.
Adults are to blame here, This was all done for one thing: MONEY. This was not about kids and quality education. Their teachers were also used as political organizers. This sort of stunt is deplorable and you’re darn tootin’ that it would never fly in “public” schools. But, when our own governor not only endorses but, takes part in the event, well you know it’s going to be a total circus. Here we go, again. What a waste …
The wildest part about is they’re basically self-appointed political actors. They get more attention that the ACTUAL people who are elected or appointed. You can’t read an article on public ed in Ohio without quotes from Fordham or StudentsFirst. I have no idea who designated these people as leaders of Ohio public schools.
Appoint yourself to run a government function. Name yourself “leader”.
Clever end run around that whole “get elected” barrier to leadership.
Last year’s rally came right after Cuomo received an $800K donation from his Cheater School loving hedge fund buddies. After not mentioning Cheater Schools in his State of the State, or budget address Cheater Schools suddenly became his highest priority for the balance of the term. Andy spoke at Eva’s rally deliberately distracting from a Bill DiBlasio anti-Cheater School press event. By the way Eva pays herself $575K of salary from public funds…and has leased $31M of office space using our tax money. PATHETIC
Eva’s worth every penny she earns. She has created a school system that works to teach minority students and she gets excellent results. Cant say the same for Mulgrew/weingarten whom make comparable salary’s.
Why is our attorney general not looking into this?
Diane, A petition to end NCLB from President Obama. Spread the word. Thanks for all you do and keeping people informed. Love you. Best, Bob http://my.democrats.org/page/s/better-education-plan?keycode=df6ee5917ae51cf798d5aec7cd3ac045135ff699df78cf79b7275d444eba02e3&firstname=Bob&lastname=Gaffney&email=bob.gaffney%40gmail.com&zip=18914&utm_medium=email&utm_source=obama&utm_content=2+-+If+you+agree+with+me+then+go+ahead+and+l&utm_campaign=em_20150224_bo_f&source=em_20150224_bo_f
Holy mackerel! I am not sure if this gets the chutzpah award of the year, but it has to be a front runner.
What is the definition of “public” re: charter schools, anyway? Publicly-funded? Regulated? If that’s the definition then every health insurance company on the exchange is “public”.
Given a “charter” which is a grant of authority? Is that what makes them different from every other government contractor?
On this very blog, charter-to-the-bone advocates have used the phrases like “public charter schools” or “traditional and charter public schools” or “charters schools ARE public schools” and the like.
Time to put up or shut up. And there is a moral question here too, as raised by the charterite/privatizer crowd against public schools and public school staffs: this sham grassroots mobilization is clearly a political lobbying move in the interests of, by and for adults.
For example, Eva Moskowitz with 10,000 students at $575,000@ year at last count, or $57.50@student. Compared to Carmen Fariña, NYC School Chancellor, at $202,000@ year with a million plus students, or [rounding the numbers a tiny bit] 20¢@student.
Eva Moskowitz: a saint. Carmen Fariña: a sinner. Rheeally!
But on Planet Reality where logic, facts and decency are considered the moral norm—
Not really.
Thank you for your comments.
😎
Right, and that’s just the visible part. What about the “authorizers”? Who are they and what, exactly, do they do to justify a percentage cut of every charter dollar?
A bunch of legal questions here, and I imagine the answers are different in each state. Not enough lawyers and auditors working for public education for certain.
The NLRB has said (so far) that they are private employees. They have a test based on a court case to determine public or private, which you probably know.
I wonder about these larger question when governors crow about “private sector job gains”
How many of these “private sector” jobs are what used to be public sector jobs? How many of them are due to privatization/government contracting?
If I privatize a government function, say, child support (which is public in Ohio) can I say I “created” private sector jobs and “slashed” government?
We should write to our state legislators and tell them not to be fooled by this stunt. Also, ask them to call for investigations into its legality.
I’m curious. How are these students traveling to Albany? Is she renting buses for the trip? Are taxpayer dollars being used? That can’t be legal.
Charter schools only claim to be public schools when it $uit$ their need$.
There’s no way to know.
They’d have to open up their books and disclose which account’s funds are being used to fund the trip and whether the feeder for that account was public or private money.
And let’s say they were obligated to do that, it isn’t so hard to move numbers around and pay for something on the private side by using the public side to pay for something private would usually cover (like let’s say some maintenance project), and that frees up the private money that would have otherwise been used on the school to execute this trip.
We’re not going to win this fight on an auditing front.
Lots of outrage.
Ennui wins the day.
It’s not that no one cares,
It’s that the ruler’s don’t care.
Why do you keep voting for these people?
Donkeys & Elephants are just disguises for the same oligarchs who have usurped your liberty for the sake of their own power.
Until the oligarchs power is threatened, they won’t listen (or care)
Is this serious? Legit?