May 29, 2009 - AFG Press
PS 160 of Co-op City, The Bronx, NY protested the dictatorial imposition of a charter school by Mayor Bloomberg & Chancellor Klein. Over 100 students, parents, residents, & teachers protested the inappropriate placement of a middle school "Equality" Charter in their elementary school. As customary with mayoral control, again the community was not consulted. This Equality Charter will encroach on the already limited space needed for their special needs students, to reduce class size and for its specialized classes. The parents are organizing against this outrage and have filed a grievance against the City.
Rather than promote "Equality" [a misnomer for any charter], these privatized charters in public schools only serve to divide and generate tensions. Charters provide disparate, unequal and preferential treatment with reduced class sizes, more resources and monies. These monies should be targetted for the benefit of all public schools. Julie Woodward of ICE/UFT said, "It is government that causes public schools ‘to do poorly’ by failing to provide the necessary resources, monies, and supports! Charters and school closings are not the answer."
Not surprisingly, UFT officials were absent from this important protest. The UFT can not represent its members against these charter intrusions and union-busting maneuvers of the City because the UFT has shamefully supported charters and the disastrous mayoral control of schools. GEM seeks to reverse such negative policies of the UFT/AFT which allow the private-corporate sectors to appropriate our public school dollars for their profiteering and to discredit teachers for "poorly" functioning schools. Privatization via charters only serves to undermine, underfund and union-bust our public schools. The complicity of OUR UFT must be stopped.
Unite with our communities and GEM in our Citywide fight-back!
Click to see GEM's video on Protest:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i862TC2IIUs&feature=channel_page
GEM issues include: stopping school closings & privatization with charters, democratic control of our schools, restoring teacher seniority transfer UFT-contract rights, smaller class size, ending high stakes testing, stopping teacher harassment, and more.
We defend equal & quality fully-funded neighborhood public schools.
Please forward.
Angel Gonzalez,
for GEM
5 comments:
Does anyone know how UFT representation at these protests is calculated?
I've been to several of them:
— the one attended by many UFT officials at Fordham Arts (did the UFT actually start it, or just endorse it?),
— the ATR rally the UFT attended but sabotaged, and
— this last one at PS 160, which they did not attend
Is there a formula for the UFT presence, namely that if they start it, they send people, and if they don't start it, they boycott or directly damage it by unhelpful and downright malicious maneuvering?
It is very inspiring seeing the students, parents, and a handful of parents protesting. The fact of the matter the only one person at fall in this matter is the principal Lori Baker. Lori Baker is at as much as her two assistant principals. They failed to fill up the seats. How can funding be given to a school that is suppose to hold 1000 students but it only holds 500. Ms. Baker and her tyrant "fight the black power" assistant principals are to blame for the their lack of work. Baker needs to take control and start doing what she is paid to do which is be a prinicipal. In regards to the parent that stated something about the swine flu, what does that have to do with charter schools. A parent from 160 stated on the daily news that most people in section 5 are prosting but do not know the underlying causes of this charter school. They are being influenced the tyrant, hipocryte, and rude PTA Pres Sebastian, to fill his own potential political agenda.Furthermore, Baker needs to start eliminating a majority of the teachers at 160 as most are there for a form of personal entertainment. The fact of the matter is that 160 just like a majority of NYC schools have staff that are mainly there for their personal entertainment. The community and parents need to rally and get Ms Bake transfered despite of the connections she may have wit the higher people at the DOE. I have walked by the school, and have been to many school functions and I have seen and heard her rudeness and disrespect to fellow employees. The bottom line is that the charter school is a good idea because alot of students from the co-op city were picked to be in the charter school.
Concern parent said...
Dear Anoynomous,
It is always easy to critize when you are on the outside looking in. Despite your opinion of Mrs. Baker, PS 160 is an "A" rated school. Don't blame Mrs. Baker for a parents absentissm or lack of involvement in their child/childrens lives for 4 years and all of a sudden want to get involved in the 5th grade year. If those parents had been involved from kindergarten perhaps the school would have meet "your standards". One parent who said that parents don't know the underlying cause..ha don't make me laugh....The bottom line is that regardless if there is seats in PS 160 there is no space for this middle school. In addition, middle school children need their own space. It is inappropriate to put elementary aged children general ed and children with disabilities with middle school aged children period.
2nd hearing scheduled for June 11, @ 5:30pm at PS 160.
Given that charter schools are afforded higher budgets compared to their counterparts, I guess it would be a good idea to tie up online schools with city charters.
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