This letter was sent by the secretary and chair of the charter committee of the Community Education Council of District 15 in Brooklyn.
Dear Community Leaders,
My name is Antonia Ferraro. I am the Secretary and Charter Committee Chair for CEC15 in Brooklyn. I am writing to share some news with you. Community Education Council District 15 in Brooklyn (CEC15) has written a draft of a resolution: Resolution to Oppose an Increase in the State Charter School Cap and City Charter School Subcap. The draft is attached below. CEC15 will have its final public vote on Jan. 29, 2019 at 6:30 pm at PS 131, located at 4305 Fort Hamilton Parkway in Brooklyn. The resolution has been released for a period of public comment.
We hope that you will share this draft with your community and consider writing in support of our resolution.
Attached also is a hearing notice for Success Academy. They are not asking for space at this time, rather the authorization to serve more students. The hearing is this Wednesday, January 16, 2019, at 5:30 pm. Consider voicing your opposition by attending the hearing or writing to the address listed in the hearing notice.
Charter expansion is why our resolution is so crucial. New York City has 39% of the state’s students and houses 71% of the state’s Charter schools. Given this imbalance, the prospect of a Charter School Subcap increase, requires us to ask—What is the vision for New York City public schools? Any amendment to the law that enables further Charter growth without an evaluation of impact, is an unmistakable signal that Charter schools are not merely a vehicle for educational alternatives and threaten to put New York City public schools out of business. Therefore, we ask Albany to impose a Five-Year New York City Charter Moratorium and perform an evaluation of our existing dual education system because education policy should create systems that work together to make progress for all New York children—not systems designed wherein one undermines the other.
I want to emphasize that this is not an anti-Charter school resolution. We realize there are different opinions on the Charter school issue across the 5 boroughs. However, given the numbers, a Charter Cap and/or Subcap increase should be something our city’s parents and educators oppose with a unified voice. The legislative session is upon us and parent leaders can’t miss this opportunity to press pause on Charter expansion at the source—Albany.
Thank you and don’t hesitate to reach to me with questions. Also, please consider supporting CEC15 by attending our Jan. 29th meeting.
Sincerely,
Antonia Ferraro
CEC15 Secretary and Charter Committee Chair
antoniacec15@gmail.com
Diane Ravitch's blog 
So a member of the Council sends a public letter on behalf of the Council asking for a charter moratorium, before the Council has actually voted to approve the resolution in favor of a charter moratorium? Am I reading this right?
LikeLike
This is exactly what I would hope that anyone who supports public schools would endorse and I would question the motives of anyone who opposes it:
“Therefore, we ask Albany to impose a Five-Year New York City Charter Moratorium and perform an evaluation of our existing dual education system because education policy should create systems that work together to make progress for all New York children—not systems designed wherein one undermines the other.”
This shouldn’t be controversial! It is a no-brainer! No citizens without a personal motive — even most parents who currently send their children to charters — want their charters to be undermining public schools. Most parents want truthful discussions with information that is not the curated PR presented by charters and their hired researchers. (Who are fired if they don’t come up with what the charters want).
Most parents — even those who send their own kids to charters — understand that looking closely at attrition rates of charters IS important. Most parents — even those who send their own kids to charters — know that charter CEOs who insist that if nearly 20% of the 5 year olds in a charter are given out of school suspensions, it is only because they all act out violently due only to their own violent natures — are liars who know they can get away with such things by appealing to the racism of the billionaires who adore them.
The problem with the charter movement is that it is run by liars and those who are terrified to call out the liars because their own bread and butter would be threatened. They made their own bed by acting like the Congressional Republicans and pretending Trump’s dishonesty was fine as long as it got them what they wanted. And the enabling of the lies has (hopefully) come back to bite those enabling Republicans.
And the enabling of the lies is coming back to bite those pro-charter folks who claimed the moral high ground in their charters while happily enabling the lies by remaining silent when they should have been speaking out demanding real accountability.
It still astonishes me that not one charter leader has questioned the rabid dishonesty of a charter CEO who insists that so many African-American 5 year olds who win her lottery act out so violently in Kindergarten that they must be suspended.
It still astonishes me that not one charter leader has questioned the rabid dishonesty of a charter CEO who insists that class size doesn’t matter because her charters prove that having 28 or 30 severely disadvantaged students with one “model” teacher (as we saw on the video) will always result in 99% passing rates and we just can’t afford small classes for severely disadvantaged kids because it is a waste of money.
It still astonishes me that not only has not one charter leader spoken out as this blatantly dishonest charter leader intentionally undermined public schools with her lies, but they did not speak out when this charter leader INSISTED that Betsy DeVos was the right person because her values were exactly that of the pro-charter movement.
So yes, a moratorium is necessary. In the same way that most right thinking Americans now understand that a vote for any Republican in Congress is a vote for enabling Trump and undermining democracy, NYC citizens are starting to realize that support of any privately operated charter school is a vote to enable the most dishonest, pro-Betsy DeVos charter CEOs and allow them to undermine public schools.
LikeLike
One would think that as secretary of education for the United States Betsy Devos would be all over this LA teacher strike. One further, one could possible fathom Devos going to California and bringing the two sides together to work things out.
One would think that the secretary of education for US would be in front of the cameras and media telling the america public about the details of the strike and why it is necessary.
But no, Devos amazingly so is no where to be found. The looney boon is really a trip. How in the world is it that she has not said anything public since the strike? Then again as I type the comment I am remembering that this is Devos who has been a disaster and actually has been in hiding since the 60 minutes interview. Devos get your butt out there!
LikeLike
DeVos hates unions.
Why would you expect her to be in LA, other than to support Beutner, whose father was a top executive at Amway. Beutner was born in Holland, Michigan, the DeVos Town.
LikeLike
It would be absolutely appropriate for Betsy DeVos to be there to support the pro-reform LA school board and their hand-picked school leader Beutner.
But the pro-reform LA school board wants to pretend that they do not share the exact same values as Betsy DeVos when they have far more in common with DeVos than with people who support public education.
LikeLike
I can’t stand DeVos and doubt she would ever do anything constructive with regard to the strike. However, she recently broke her pelvis when she fell from a bicycle. Travel is definitely not an option for her at the moment.
LikeLike
Thanks for the information about Devos breaking her pelvis and in a wheel chair recovering. It was reported that Devos was riding a bicycle and had an accident causing the injury.
The US education system is on fire and Devos is riding her bike.
LikeLike
Devos broke her hip and is in recovery. She is unable to travel.
LikeLike
The strategy of getting school boards to call for keeping the cap on charters was very successful during the November 2016 ballot question in Massachusetts. Godspeed!
LikeLike
I just gave this advice to an ally in the South. If you want to stop charter aggression, get a referendum on the ballot. MASS is a shining example.
LikeLike
Kudos to CEC15! The charter cap should not be lifted.
I go on the NYC PEP web site from time to time. The most prevalent business item seems to be charters, especially Success Academy, asking for “authorization to serve” more students. This is an example:
The following charter school public hearing will take place to solicit community feedback: Success Academy Charter School – Harlem 6 is a charter school located at 461 West 131st Street, New York, NY 10027 in Community School District 5. This school is currently authorized to serve approximately 675 students in grades K-5 in the 2021-2022 school year. Success Academy Charter School – Harlem 6 is seeking authorization to serve 1,917 students in grades K-8 in the 2021-2022 school year. The application does not include any changes to the utilization of school district space. Any changes to the utilization of school district space would be addressed in separate processes and public hearings.
I don’t understand how authorization to serve students and utilization of school district space are two separate discussions. It should be one discussion. There have been other notifications of hearings, in which Success Academy is looking to add a high school at a location.
I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but this charter situation is out of control. They shouldn’t be able to open whenever and wherever they want for as many students as they want. Why should our tax dollars be used so wantonly?
LikeLike