In this article published at The Daily Kos, the writer describes Bill de Blasio’s forceful demand for a moratorium on new charter “co-locations.”
As the author explains, “co-location” is a euphemism for a hostile appropriation of public space, which is given rent-free to private charter operators, some of which have billionaires on their board.
When a charter school is “co-located” with a public school, “Kids attending then ‘co-located’ neighborhood schools are kicked out of their classrooms and forced into yet more crowded classrooms. Charter schools don’t pay rent, often get the best facilities, and cherry pick the use of ‘shared space’. They often reject students who don’t fit in their managers’ model of the right sort of student.”
He writes:
The charter school movement was originally a progressive idea – let local parents try to build local alternate schools. Let a thousand classrooms bloom. Fair enough.
But this nice warm hippy concept has been hijacked and industrialized and capitalized and even securitized by the neo-cons. Bloomberg (not parents) led the push for charter schools here. His cronies at the Department of Education led the revolution from above. By last year there were 125 elementary and middle school charter schools in New York City. Charter schools now account for over 5% of NYC’ students. But parent demand didn’t create these schools; all were manufactured by administrative fiat. And almost none of these schools were built anew – the space was stolen from neighborhood schools.
And he adds:
Actually almost all parents would choose the same thing – a sound neighborhood school. And by subsidizing charter schools Bloomberg diverted billions of Dollars that could have made neighborhood schools stronger.
The promise of charter schools was that their existence as an alternative would give parents a choice. The theory was that management of existing system would make improvements to compete with the new schools. But in NYC parents aren’t really given a choice. Billions of dollars of real estate has been expropriated from neighborhood schools and given to Charter Schools. The neighborhood schools are robbed in a deliberate effort to make the Charter Schools seem more attractive. It’s only natural that when given the choice between a starved carcass of a neighborhood school or an a shiny new floor in a charter school, some parents choose the latter. Bloomberg has his thumb on the scale. He has sabotaged neighborhood schools, not strengthened them.
If de Blasio is elected and follows through on his promise to be a mayor for all the children–especially the neglected 95% who do not attend charter schools–he could become a national leader in the fight to restore sanity and common sense to education policy.
The writer says:
De Blasio could be New York City’s next Mayor. He can use the office to not only reverse Bloomberg’s failed educational policies but as a national podium. He can fight to end NCLB, to end the “Reign of Testing Terror”, to end the misuse of Charter Schools, and for reasonable universal pre-k.
DINOs like Rahm Emanuel and NY Governor Cuomo still think they should talk about closing failing schools. Neighborhood schools are being closed in Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, etc. Maybe if New Yorkers elect de Blasio we can also send a message to Congress and Education Secretary Arne Duncan and President Obama.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I have been waiting, hoping and praying for someone like him! May there be more too!
Assuming that Mr. De Blasio’s campaign statements about charter school expropriation of public school space truly reflect his beliefs, and not his branding efforts as a candidate, it’s still naive to think that he will be able to do what he says without public support in the streets, schools and media.
Should he be elected Mayor, he is certain to receive a stern talking-to about how the world really works from some Worthy at the Partnership for New York City, the Gates Foundation or another power center.
Given that certainty, teachers, parents, students and all New Yorkers concerned about the public schools need to be prepared to increase the level of resistance to the so-called reformers and social vandals, and give Mayor De Blasio the political space to fulfill his campaign promises.
I don’t see that there’s a whole lot to De Blasio’s co-location “moratorium.” De Blasio has not called for an end to co-locations, or even a moratorium on new co-locations. He’s just called for a moratorium on new co-location plans for the next few months, until Bloomberg’s out of office. So De Blasio is “calling” for a moratorium that he has no power to impose now, and has stated no intention to impose if he were elected mayor. In terms of what he’s actually pledged to do as mayor, he’s said he would institute a new process for co-locations that would give local community boards more “input.” It’s not clear what that input would be, but it would seem to imply a slightly more robust process of what we have now — public hearings, community feedback to the DOE, and some kind of advisory recommendation to the DOE/PEP. It would not allow community boards to block proposed co-locations.
I don’t know what De Blasio or any of the candidates truly believes or intends to do if elected. But I’m certain that he words his campaign statements carefully and with purpose. As far as co-locations are concerned, De Blasio’s prior statements about rent-charging are a whole lot more meaningful than this “moratorium” stuff.
Any community input on co-locations–giving free public space to privately managed charters–would be better than none at all.
Although “it’s better than nothing” isn’t much of an endorsement. Note that we already have community input on co-locations. The DOE holds a hearing and people show up and yell at the PEP and the PEP votes however it wants to. That’s also better than nothing, I guess. From what I can tell, De Blasio is proposing to have separate hearings before the individual CECs, and to have the CECs submit a non-binding recommendation to the PEP. So the PEP will continue to vote however it wants. What’s the value-add that De Blasio’s proposing? An additional opportunity for people to show up and yell and then be ignored? Seems to me that Thompson’s significantly better on this issue than De Blasio, as he’s the only one who’s said he would support giving up the city’s majority on the PEP.
His chances of getting elected are slim. The 95% he is trying to help have fewer resources and thereby, less influence than the 5% attending either Private and/or Charter Schools. In a sense, these Charter Schools are Publicly Funded Private Schools for the Higher Socioeconomic level families who do not want their children to go to a school with those undesirables and they have now figured a way to segregate by Economic Class legally and get a FREE Private Education for their Special children. You have to give them credit, they took the system and made it work for them. This is what the higher socioeconomic families have always done. They know how to work and influence the system. That is why they are in the position of power. Ideally, it would be wonderful to elect someone who is genuinely interested in the well being of the 95%, but this is as likely to happen as solving the Homeless problem in America. These things do not happen unless the powerful want this to happen. That is why we have had so few Presidents that we consider exceptional. We look at a President Lincoln as a great leader because he did what should have been done by other Presidents, but they were not willing to go against the wishes of the most powerful, the 5%. To stop what is happening in our Public Schools today and do what is in the best interest of the 95% instead of the 5%, will take another monumental leader like President Lincoln. Is their a person who can go against Bloomberg, Gates, Zutterberg, the Koch devils, Rhee, Trump, the Waltons, Coleman, Bush, Bennett, and all the Hedge fund boys? President Lincoln would have lost this war against these people! All I can do is Hope. Good Luck. My grandchildren’s future depends on the outcome.
you may be surprised.
Mark – How do you feel about the families sending their kids to elite magnet NYC “public schools” that use admissions tests to screen out kids they don’t want to work with?
Is that a bad idea too?
Bloomberg has multiplied the number of public schools with admissions tests.
Diane – recollection is that you are ok with public schools that have admissions tests. Are you now opposed?
Joe Nathan, I favor public decisions by boards that are accountable to the public, not to Bill Gates or Eli Broad or Wall Street.
As you know, Diane, state legislators also are elected by the people. In every state, it is the state legislature that has approved charters. So elected representatives of the people have approved this.
Many education progressives strongly oppose allowing any public k-12 school to use any admission test – whether district or charter. We stand with the late US Senator Paul Wellstone, who worked hard to support expanded opportunity in many ways, including more $ for Head Start and more $ to help start innovative district & charter public schools that are open to all.
We stand with Rosa Parks who worked hard to help start charters in Detroit.
Some can call of us “useful idiots” or tell us to “go to hell.” But progressive ideas are moving ahead.
Millions of kids are now being served by public school options – some as part of districts, some outside them.
You have every right to say it’s ok to have public k-12 schools that have admissions tests if publicly elected school boards approve them.
However, It does seem inconsistent to criticize charters that are open to all, but approve district schools that base admission on the standardized tests you often criticize.
Wow. Joe Nathan, are you so deep in The Big Muddy that you’re now simply unable to allow any reality to intrude?
Like the zealots who lead our nation into the Vietnam War—in many cases with the very best of intentions and with true idealism guiding them—were in just a few short years now defending the disaster they had created ONLY because they had invested too much of their prestige and public standing in it.
Their names were now on this and their noble idealism had now morphed into saving face in the public arena.
You and others in Minnesota have had over twenty years to prove your claims; and you’ve failed to do so. But more than just fail at your mission, you’ve actually made things much worse than they were beforehand.
You’ve exploited a lot of well meaning folks and enabled or even (consciously? deliberately?) assisted the most cynical and corrupt elements imaginable.
Growing # of Mn students attending charters – in both Mpls and Minnesota, charters enroll a higher % of low income, limited English speaking and students of color – and charters over-represented on the Minneapolis Star Tribune “Beat the Odds” list.
Not all charters are great but many are helping lots of kids.
We’re also delighted by the district/charter collaboration that is helping more kids.
Doesn’t seem like failure to many families and students.
Seems to me that anyone who read “Savage Inequalities” (Kozol) should have seen through the charter movement from day one. As I recall, in his campaign in ’92 Clinton mentioned it as one of the most influential books he had read. Does this mean that Hilary might have a more enlightened view on public education? We should be so lucky.
We stopped the billionaires three times lately in L.A. with the $90 billion Measure J, Steve Zimmer and Monica Ratliff at the LAUSD Board of Education. Who says it cannot be done. Diane, you are correct, YOU MAY BE SURPRISED!!!! The big problem is that people have blinders on and tunnel vision and do not believe. Politics, and that is what this election is, is the ART OF THE POSSIBLE. This does not mean impossible. This election is more than POSSIBLE. Nationally, as in the Ratliff race here in L.A., if what was done to help elect her is done in this mayoral race it could as in the Ratliff race make the win possible. Because of the support of Diane and her readers and commenters Monica Ratliff won by 1.8%, and that is close. Zimmer also won by 1.8%. This is how important this extra is right now against the billionaire thief’s. By the way, Bill Clinton is the one who caused this whole mess as he set it in motion when the republicans could not as he used the facade of being a democrat when his principals are not traditional democratic ones. Stupid people got fooled again when the power structure which also runs the republicans made sure Obama was put up after he proved he was one of them in Chicago with his policies there.
Electing a few people is only a positive advancement if they follow through and make a positive difference for the 95%. As you noted, Obama is really not a true Democrat and Clinton changed aid to the less fortunate to make a deal for the better off. Last time I looked, LA school teachers I know are demoralized by the new evaluation system about to be implemented from above due to receiving Arne Duncan’s waiver approval. Teachers teaching in low socioeconomic areas names are printed in the LA Times as failures and no one wants to suggest the obvious. In our district, teachers who have been considered failures transfer from a low performing school to a high performing school and yes, you guessed it. They are now considered as high performing, successful teachers! What a wonderful transformation in just one summer! Lets do an experiment. Place in your contract a rotation system for a handful of teachers each year from school to school. Teachers are paid and hired to teach in a district, not by a single school site. Then over a few years, you will find out who the failing teachers are in your district. Good teachers should be able to teach ALL students! Of course, this would never happen unless the district Adminstration wants to transfer a certain teacher. If you do only a few teachers each year and do not transfer the same teachers twice or at least until you have transferred everyone once. So, teacher “A” may teach at three schools over a 15 year period depending on the number of teachers in your system. It is easier to just fire the teachers in the low performing schools and create a Charter School using TFA.
Co – location has a long history in NYC – long before charters were created. Some of the new schools in East Harlem, where Deborah Meier was (wisely) allowed to create a new school, were co-locations involving existing and “new” teacher designed schools.
Some of the same objections were made at that time. But soon the East Harlem “small schools” effort was being hailed throughout the city and soon throughout the country.
There are well done and poor done examples of co-location.
One of the best examples of co-location is the Julia Richman complex.
http://www.jrec.org/
There is a long history in NYC and other places of NIMBY – not in my back yard.
No one forced students to attend the new public schools in East Harlem but they proved very popular – and in case cases traditional schools were closed because they lost so many students to the new schools.
Traditionalist anti improvement activists tried some of the same objections we now see. As Shanker noted, educators who wanted to create new “schools within schools” often “were treated like traitors or outlaws for daring to move outside the lockstep.”
Deborah Meier’s schools were not co-located. They were and are PUBLIC schools. They do not have selective admissions. They do not have lotteries. They do not have billionaires on a private board.
Wait a minute — are you saying that a public school cannot, by definition, be “co-located”?
Co-location is a euphemism for hostile takeover.
Doesn’t have to be – it can be a good use of resources.
I believe it was Albert Shanker, head of the New York City teachers’ union and then of the United Federation of Teachers, who originally proposed charter schools. In these schools teachers, freed of bureaucratic regimens, would have autonomy that would permit innovative teaching. And these teachers would be union members.
What Shanker proposed was that groups of teachers would be allowed to create new public schools under an agreement with the local school board. Shanker used the term “charter schools” which was first proposed by Ray Budde who worked in New England.
What Shanker proposed was already happening in a number of cities – including New York City. Shanker was skillful in getting some people in the media to think this was a new idea.
The idea was expanded by people in Minnesota, including district classroom educators. Many of us were frustrated by the way that school boards and district administration made it difficult if not impossible to create new, distinctive public schools. Shanker recognized this difficulty, noting in one of his NY Times paid advertisements that educators who tried to create new schools within schools often were treated like “traitors or outlaws for daring to move outside the lockstep.”
Again, Joe, you continue to act as though it’s still 1989 and that whatever noble intent was present then, is still relevant today.
Joe, I’ll concede for the moment that you started out really wanting to make a positive difference for all students everywhere. And maybe you still do.
But can’t you see that it’s 2013 and that your dream has been HIJACKED by hedge fund junkies, Ayn Rand fanatics, Wall Street sharks, elitist megalomaniacs, modern day mandarins, right wingers obsessed with a hatred for anything “union”, “public” or predominantly female and minority, and a bizarre and sociopathic array of people like Michelle Rhee, Jeb Bush, Rupert Murdoch and other assorted charlatans, con men, shell game operators, hucksters, hustlers, Casino mentalities, fraudsters and other Flim Flam artists?
Joe, this “Ed Reform” sham/scam is starting to show it’s tattered underpants. You appear to be a good and honest human being. You have an opportunity to demonstrate that you don’t trust these hijackers and no longer want your good name to be paired with the likes of theirs.
History is being written here, Joe. You don’t want to be standing on the wrong side of it.
Thanks for your comments. Nope, don’t agree the charter movement has been hijacked. Just as with district schools, there are a wide variety of people involved.
Have you spoken out about the Seattle district scandals?
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Report-Seattle-schools-scandal-worse-than-thought-3871803.php
Have you spoken out about the variety of teachers who are sexually abusing students?
http://eagnews.org/disturbing-tales-of-teachers-sexually-abusing-students-becoming-everyday-news-across-the-nation/
Washington state has a history of allowing people to create new public schools – some succeeding, some not. But part of honoring teachers’ professionalism is giving them a chance to try something so long as they are willing to be responsible for improvements.
Joe, you seem to have a file of every picayune misstep made by anyone who works in public education.
Meanwhile, the charter sector is teeming with profiteers who open charters to take advantage of tax breaks and to assemble multi-million dollar real estate empires. But that doesn’t bother you.
Read this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/09/05/why-charter-schools-need-better-oversight/
Actually, I’ve repeatedly agreed that there are problems with some charters, that some of them should be closed (and some rightly have been) and there has been some major misuse of dollars by people working in charters.
What I have not seen is a similar acknowledgement of problems with district public schools and or teacher unions. Earlier today I asked a person from Washington State about more than million dollar theft from Seattle. No response.
I’ve pointed out theft by teacher union leaders in a variety of places. No response.
That’s not to condemn all school districts, but to point out that in there are plenty of problems in other parts of public education too.
Also are you saying that the sexual abuse of students by teachers is a “picayune misstep?” I think it’s a problem in NYC and in many other communities around the country. From a June, 2013 NY Daily News story:
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/raped-girl-family-teachers-fired-article-1.1381512#axzz2ePAclXVZ
” A Daily News investigation published Monday shows that education officials tried to fire 128 school employees since 2007 for sexual misconduct or inappropriate relationships with students — but only 33 were actually axed.”
Reyes, 52, said she didn’t want any other family to experience the pain she went through when she discovered the sick string of sexually explicit emails sent by Anthony Criscuolo to her young granddaughter last week.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/raped-girl-family-teachers-fired-article-1.1381512#ixzz2ePApdYX5
Do you agree this is a problem?
Joe, I could post even more appalling stories about charters, but what would be the point? Your cause has been adopted by ALEC, the Walton Family Foundation, Jeb Bush, Michelle Rhee, Governor Rick Scott, Governor Tom Corbett–in fact, every leading figure on the right. It’s not progressive any more, Joe.
Some of us don’t reject high quality early childhood programs because many business groups as well as progressive groups are supporting them.
Since I visit district & charter public schools all over the country, I see lots of exciting things being done with teachers and youngsters. There are many terrific progressive charters from Massachusetts and New York. to California. Same is true for district public schools.
Diane – “My cause,” as you refer to it, is more terrific public schools, open to all kinds of kinds. I don’t care if they are district or charter – people who look in the publications section of our website will see reports that feature outstanding, innovative public schools, district & charter.
More schools where students are learning how to help make a real difference in the world, more schools that combine classroom work and community service, more schools that share facilities with social service agencies and other groups, more schools where youngsters earn college credits while still in high school, more schools that welcome families and community groups, more schools that use multiple measures to assess and report student progress. More schools that recognize that they cannot overcome all the problems of poverty, but that they can help youngsters make a lot of progress.
Fortunately there are lots of educators and families across the political that like and value those ideas. They don’t reject either district or charter. They are busy building, creating and making a big difference. It’s fun to work with and learn from them.
Joe, I was under the impression that you wanted to ENHANCE your reputation and credibility—not further demean it.
It’s truly incredible that you would post two old links—one of them exactly a year old—to try and bolster your case. Instead, you’ve actually dug the hole even deeper.
What you’ve sent, first of all, is a clear example of trying to change the subject. The two posts you sent were absolutely irrelevant to what we were discussing.
And, the old tactic of “Oh yeah, well how come I never hear you say anything about (Fill In The Blank) which is an ever BIGGER problem in my opinion…blah blah blah.” is frankly kind of juvenile and amateurish—don’t you think?
Surely you’re capable of sticking to the point and arguing about the actual topic being discussed. Aren’t you?
However, since you brought it up, I’ll address both of your links, ignoring the fact that they are nongermane and unconnected to what was being discussed.
First, yes, I DID speak out about the Seattle School District scandals and helped to elect new board members to replace those who defended, enabled and ignored all of this back when it was actually happening, several years ago.
This entire scandal, and the hiring of the contractor who robbed the district blind happened during the tenure of Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson—the “Ed Reformer’s Reformer!
Maria Goodloe-Johnson was the very essence of the Ed Reformer, trained at the very controversial “Broad Academy”, and well versed in their duplicitous language and tactics.
Did you actually READ the article you posted, Joe? It’s as if a major water polluter was later righteously decrying the pollution of our water! Truly bizarre.
The other one you sent almost makes me question your real intentions and who you’re working with.
You sent us a link from an ultra-right wing website, almost dripping with “Teacher Hatred” and vile postings about “the liberals”, “the unions”, “the lazy minorities”, “taxation is theft” and much more like this.
That website, claiming “constant sexual abuse everywhere of students by teachers” is published by a right-wing extremist named Kyle Olson.
Olson is often seen on Fox “News”, ranting and raving about how all of public education is “corrupt” and “unconstitutional”. I find it hard to believe that you didn’t know this beforehand and that you would cite such a disreputable source.
Olson’s most “notable” book is entitled, “Indoctrination: How ‘Useful Idiots’ Are Using Our Schools to Subvert American Exceptionalism.”
Olson has given scores of interviews on talk radio programs coast to coast. His work has been cited by the Drudge Report, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck.
I rest my case.
As noted in another comment, many of us are big advocates of strong early childhood programs, even though many (conservative) business groups support them too.
Glad to see you are concerned about teachers who are sexual predictors, even though there are conservatives concerned too.
I’d condemn what Mr. Johnson allegedly did, along with those that Mr Olson describes. Doesn’t mean I agree with much of what Mr. Olson says. But I do agree with this concern.
Since this thread was about NYC I think this situation in NYC (and the allegations about other problems in NYC) are relevant:
From a June, 2013 NY Daily News story:
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/raped-girl-family-teachers-fired-article-1.1381512#axzz2ePAclXVZ
” A Daily News investigation published Monday shows that education officials tried to fire 128 school employees since 2007 for sexual misconduct or inappropriate relationships with students — but only 33 were actually axed.”
Reyes, 52, said she didn’t want any other family to experience the pain she went through when she discovered the sick string of sexually explicit emails sent by Anthony Criscuolo to her young granddaughter last week.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/raped-girl-family-teachers-fired-article-1.1381512#ixzz2ePApdYX5
For me, these situations are not “picayune”.
Joe Nathan,
The article you link to is about allegations of sexual misconduct. In this country, we have an old-fashioned idea called “innocent until proven guilty.”
When I lived in DC in the early 1990s, seven middle school girls accused a teacher of sexual abuse. With so many accusations, the evidence was clear that the man was guilty. He was pilloried in the press. But a week later, the police announced that the girls, when questioned individually, admitted that they concocted the tale to hurt the teacher because he gave them low grades.
That story taught me a lesson. It should teach you one also.
I hope.
Yes, innocent until proven guilty is an important principle. Yes, people sometimes makes accusations and then withdraw them. However,
* The Daily News reports a number of other cases where people were found guilty and retained their jobs.
* This story says the person sent emails describing what he had done to the young woman.
Perhaps you have heard the bizarre case in Montana where a judge sentenced a teacher to 30 days after he was convicted of sex with a 14 year old.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/03/20306649-embattled-montana-judge-orders-new-sentencing-for-teacher-convicted-of-sex-with-student?lite
So far I have not read any statement here from you condemning this kind of thing. You did refer to concerns I raised as examples of “picayune misstep(s).”
Some of us believe they are far more than that.
Joe, the rule of law applies even to public school teachers.
It certainly does.
However, Joe, if you’d like to know more about someone who has a long pattern of sexually harassing teenage girls, you might want to look more closely at Kevin Johnson (A.K.A. “Mr. Michelle Rhee the Second”) mayor of Sacramento and ex-NBA star.
Johnson is actually on tape, “apologizing” to a 16 year old female for “what I did to you” the other night. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. With the help of Ms. Rhee—who is apparently very good at coverups and whitewashes—Johnson was able to pay off several of these young women to buy their silence and compliance.
But that doesn’t change the fact that he did these awful things to minor females.
There’s actually a lot about this on the web. Here’s just a small sample. I suggest you look into it if you REALLY are concerned about the sexual abuse of minors:
http://rokdrop.com/2009/11/23/michelle-rhee-linked-to-kevin-johnson-sex-scandal-cover-up/
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1997-05-08/news/the-summer-of-95/
http://spectator.org/blog/2009/11/23/ig-gate-hush-money-charge-in-s