Saturday, October 29, 2011

Eva Shut Down By Parent Leaders in Cobble Hill - Meeting Over

SEE FOLLOW-UP REPORT:  Jim Devor Report on How Eva Shut Down Her Own Meeting and Ran Out


This was an unconfirmed report we just received from Cobble Hill. Waiting for more details. The other meeting today in Williamsburg at 2PM has not had any open opposition yet.

So far despite intense opposition on the Upper West Side, the Eva Moskowitz Success Academy onslaught on white middle class gentrifying neighborhoods continues in Brooklyn Cobble Hill, areas of Bed-Stuy and Williamsburg.

So far she hasn't been stopped with the DOE and the massive input of money into the Success Network with the goal of establishing a loss-leader - heavy investment up front to make these schools even more attractive then even the successful public schools like PS 261- until these schools are destabilized and closed, leaving the parents with no choice other than charters as has happened in New Orleans. (The New Orleans Charter Scam Game - See comment 1).

The invasion of Brooklyn will be voted on at the Dec. 14 PEP meeting where Moskowitz, who is using her charter schools to build a political machine, will turn out busloads of her troops (with lots of food and threats that they must attend). PS 59 is the target apparently. The UFT is too intimidated by Eva to go head to head so only by building the ed version of OWS which is being called Occupy Public Education can we fight her.


Before I go on, I do hope that people see the connection between this story, the OWS stories, the Charlotte Danielson story, the ATR story and Common Core Standards story and pretty much all the stuff we have been putting up. We have only one weapon to counteract Eva - your bodies. Numbers do count and it is imperative for rank and file teachers to start joining in - and yes we will be charged by FOX and the Post and most of the press with being hooligans and who knows what else if we shut down Tweed dog and pony shows - but we lose the PR battle if we are good boys and girls or bad- so let's be BAD!

Here is a message from Leonie:

Eva is  offering tours for parents in Cobble Hill & Williamsburg to Upper West Success in Manhattan, presumably because it has a more upscale demographic than her current Brooklyn  Success Academy which was opened this year.  See attached brochure above.
 The opening of Upper West Success w/ more middle class parents was critical to getting her the demonstration project she needed to recruit more such parents.  Also note the photos of the little blonde girl. Schools that are currently targeted for co-locations are: Bed Stuy Success Academy at PS 59; K059 (“K059”), located at 211 Throop Avenue, Brooklyn Cobble Hill Success Academy at Brooklyn School for Global Studies (15K429), School for International Studies (15K497) and P.S. 368 (P368K@H429K) in Building K293, 284 Baltic Street, Brooklyn.

There is also a new Uncommon School HS charter slated for Brooklyn Academy High School
(13K553), Bedford Stuyvesant Preparatory High School (13K575) and a District 75 School (75K373@79K575) in Building K458; 832 Marcy Avenue, Brooklyn.

I don’t think they have announced the Williamsburg location yet.

Hearing times at below link.
 http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/leadership/PEP/publicnotice/2011-2012/Dec2011Proposals.htm



Here was a call for people to come out and protest:
Eva Moskowitz will be hosting an informational session for Cobble Hill families at the Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill library located on Clinton St between Union & Sackett. Our PTA will be bringing signs, petitions and flyers on what charter schools are really about but we need more people to join us. We will start handing out flyers at 11 am on the corner of Sackett & Clinton. There is no planned intervention for the forum itself yet but I am encouraging parents to go in and ask the hard questions - if there is a real Q&A allowed.
The original call came a few days ago with an interesting twist. Instead of parents at one school sighing with relief that Eva is not coming to them and being willing to throw the victimized school under the bus, we are seeing more of a united front. Being a skeptic and knowing the success of the Ed Deformers at Tweed ability to divide and conquer, I'm taking a wait and see attitude.

From a Brooklyn New School parent:
Hello folks,
This is a very interesting development about the charter school crisis that needs your attention.
Eva Moskowitz is.scouting out a location for a Bklyn based Success Charter School in Cobble Hill. One is PS 261 and the other is.MS 447, Math and Science. MS 447 serves a high percentage of students with special needs on the autism spectrum so the formula used to determine "under utilized space" makes them vulnerable to the rigged rationale for a co location
A plan of action was started at a small but feisty MS 447 PTA meeting last night.
The first action that we need your support with is this Saturday, Oct 29 at noon.
Eva Moskowitz will be hosting an informational session for Cobble Hill families at the Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill library located on Clinton St between Union and Sackett. Our PTA will be bringing signs, petitions and flyers on what charter schools are really about but we need more people to join us. We will start handing out flyers at 11 am on the corner of Sackett & Clinton. There is no planned intervention for the forum itself yet but I am encouraging parents to go in and ask the hard questions - if there is a real Q andA allowed.
Although the group wants to start small - school based - there was general agreement that we are committed to building a coalition with other schools in the district and believe co location should be opposed everywhere. Besides myself, there were three other parents who took a radical and militant stance - calling for being "in their face"; noisy and dogged in our opposition and tactics. We are also discussing a joint showing of the Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman with the other school under attack.
Your presence Saturday would be great and also any other assistance and support that you can provided is appreciated.

1 comment:

Gloria Mattera said...

Great report - thank you posting this article and echoing the strategy of parents, teachers and communities joining together to stop the charter school invasion.

One correction, the verbatim email you posted was my message as an MS 447 parent as well as a activist who has participated in this fight in other communities to my fellow activists on education, green party, OWS & Occupy Brooklyn lists after the MS 447 PTA meeting where we agreed to do the action at the library and reach out to all the PTA bodies in the area.

It was a great action which not only shut down the meeting but brought even more people into this newly forming coalition to continue to education and agitate.

gloria