In a crowded field of candidates in the Democratic primary, only two are opposed to expanding the number of charters in a city with hundreds of them: Scott Stringer and Maya Wiley.
The other candidates support more charters at a time when the national Democratic Party seems to realize that charters are a key component of the rightwing’s longtime goal of privatization of the public schools. Charter advocates started a PAC for Eric Adams. Andrew Yang supports charter schools and is advised by former Mayor Bloomberg’s advisor Bradley Tusk (Bloomberg was very pro-charter). Financier Ray McGuire’s campaign relies on Bloomberg’s chancellor Joel Klein for advice (his campaign manager is pro-charter).
Betsy DeVos loves charter schools, so does the anti-union Walton family and Charles Koch. Across the country, Republican legislators and governors are passing legislation to expand charters and vouchers, while Democrats put public schools first.
This article explains how deeply entangled one of the candidates is with the charter industry. Dianne Morales has pitched herself as the most progressive candidate in the field, but neglects to mention that she was a Pahara Fellow or that she has long-standing ties to charter world.
Those ties are now producing an outpouring of contributions from the charter industry. And Kathryn Garcia, who was endorsed by the New York Times and the New York Daily News, declared recently that she wants more charter schools in the city and will ask the legislature to raise the cap.
There are currently 267 charter schools in the city. Of 1.1 million public schools in the city, 88% are enrolled in the long-neglected public schools. Ironically, by handing off more students to charter schools, the mayor (whoever it may be) is acknowledging his or her own incompetence as leader of the city’s schools.
At the beginning of the campaign, Scott Stringer was the favorite. He served in the legislature, and he is currently the City Comptroller, meaning he has detailed knowledge of the budget and the city’s massive bureaucracy. The United Federation of Teachers endorsed him, along with many progressive groups. But then a woman stepped forward to say that 20 years ago, when they were both single, he groped her. Many of those who endorsed Stringer withdrew their endorsements. Although I have a tendency to believe women in these situations, I think it’s unfair to discredit a candidate based on an unverified allegation. Stringer has been a candidate many times, and the accuser remained silent.
The charter industry has demonstrated time and again that it has the deep pockets to buy elections. What it has not bought is academic success.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Mayor De Blasio has said that NYC public schools will not be offering a remote option this fall. I think that’s wise, but there are a lot of parents who are angry about it. If the city doesn’t move from its position, that could be an opening for charter schools to offer remote learning.
Good point. And of course, since they are charters, any of their students who want remote but don’t have the access to bandwidth or someone at home at all times to monitor their on-line learning and make sure that when their “model” teachers’ charter-approved “punish and humiliate struggling kids into understanding new concepts” don’t work, those kids would leave.
Diane, I so appreciate all of your posts. You are so right, the charter industry does indeed buy elections and charters have not brought academic success. The charter school industry, not schools, have NOT brought academic success or much success of any kind.
What appalls me is the cost of preschools in NYC. Many parents are duped.
Private and charter schools are NOT better than public schools.
Thank you for all that you do. I can’t imagine NOT having your voice.
yes, parents ARE duped; they are the chosen targets for so many lies
Garcia can promise that she will ask to raise the charter cap, but ultimately that depends on what is happening in Albany. It’s easy to pander to those voters, but the question will be whether the charter cap is the hill to die on. I think (I hope) not.
Asking them about charters is fine but I would suggest a higher bar.
Ask them what positive plans and contributions they have or plan to make to that benefit the 88% of students who DON’T attend charters.
You’ll be able to tell the charter cheerleaders immediately- they’ll have nothing to offer the 88% who attend public schools, so you can get answer to both questions and keep the focus on public school students, who end up completely ignored.
The state of Ohio is pretty much completely captured by the ed reform lobby at this point and while that has meant annual expansions of charters and vouchers and endless legislative sessions exclusively devoted to promoting, funding and lavishing praise on charters and vouchers it has ALSO meant no one in Columbus has offered anything positive or productive to PUBLIC school students or families in years.
Don’t let charters hijack the whole discussion or NYC will end up in the same place. If you’re a public school family or public school supporter you are permitted to ask these people what they offer for your schools. That’s allowed. If the answer is “more charters” they haven’t answered the question.
Speaking of charters and privatization, right now, NYC government and DC37 and the UFT are coercing 250,000 municipal workers, many of whom are teachers, to go from traditional public Medicare and onto a privatized, for-profit version known as Medicare Advantage.
Like charter schools, Medicare advantage siphons money from the public version of the program. Anyone reading this, I ask you to please sign these two petitions, and join a really great FB page to prevent public funds from being vacuumed up by privatization! It practically parallels the charter school movement, and to no surprise. Connect the dots; it’s not so hard to!
Petition 1:
https://www.change.org/p/mayor-de-blasio-preserve-medicare-part-b-for-nyc-retirees
Petition 2:
https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/protect-nyc-retiree-health-coverage-benefits-from
FB Page “Preserve Medicare Parts A and B”:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/preservemedicarepartbfornycretirees/?multi_permalinks=942696859897704¬if_id=1622243869559343¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif
“DC37 and the UFT”
Aren’t those two organizations who are supposed to represent their members? Do the majority of the members support this?
Just wondering, if almost no members support this, why those members aren’t voting in new leadership instead of leadership so corrupt that they care about lining their own pockets and obeying the orders of their corporate overlords instead of those they are elected to represent?
Or is this something where the desires of retirees are at odds with the desires of the union members still working?
I agree with everything you are saying 175%, but please research the power structure of the UFT and its infamous Unity Party. It will answer all your questions.