When another millionaire wanted to start a charter school focused on Hebrew language and culture, there was little outcry. What would be the reaction if someone charged it was a school designed to train future invaders of Iran? Probably cheer.
Of course they said would site the school in a building they would find. Now they are shoving it into a public school.
A parent in District 22 commented on the NYC Education News Listserve:
Is anyone aware that when this Charter School was suggested the DOE promised that there would be public advertising about the open lottery to go to this school. Well the school is becoming a reality and according to the parents in D-22 who have PReK and Kgn children no announcement was made about this lottery. Not in the local papers, not in the kings courier, not in postings around the neighborhood.
This is supposedly not a religious school trying to cater to one element of the population and in fact at the CDEC meeting re this school back in June 2008 I personally asked the DOE representative if it would be open to the students in our only failing school which was PS 269 and he said absolutely. what was their target population. In fact the lottery was held in the YMHA in Sheepshead Bay and even people who worked there were not aware of it. This must have been a very quiet, private solicitation, for a so called open charter school. So where was this advertised....
We also asked about them taking space in the public schools and were told that they would be finding their own private space and would not be going into any of our schools. The charter is now trying to push their way into a local junior high school with over 1100 students currently attending and 900 applicants for next year. Again more lies....
And Mr. Bloomberg has a few Catholic schools right on their heels, which he plans to let the current students keep on attending, sans tuition. He's gonna take down the crosses, I read, so apparently it's no prob.
ReplyDeleteI think my old Hebrew school is owed some money. They hardly ever collected tuition as they saw themselves as saving us from the ghastly public schools in some of our neighborhoods. But, they would never take the money now or then as they were very proud to be part of a Democracy and taught us well about the separation of Church and State and how that secured our freedom to be practicing Jews. Only the cheaters take and take and take.
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