Coming Soon to a School Near You: The Co-Location Monster

Leonie Haimson's petition on ending co-locations... please sign and share widely...

http://www.change.org/classsizematters/petitions/view/do_not_approve_nyc_charter_schools_that_will_take_space_in_our_public_school_buildings

Here is a note Leonie sent to her listserve:

 

See below; a notice we just received of an Oct. 20 vote on two new applications for Success Academy charter schools in D3 and in D7 – both to be co-located in district schools. 

For an article about how Bronx Success Academy squeezed one supposedly underutilized school this fall, leading to sped kids getting services in hallways and rising class sizes, check out

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2010/09/14/2010-09-14_public_schools_feeling_squeeze_of_charters.html

.

Check out this recent article about how the space wars in the playground at another branch of the Success Academies played out in Harlem over the summer:

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/08/18/2010-08-18_charters_soccer_field_pitches_harlem_turf_war.html

And here is another column, about how the chain spent $1.3 million to recruit more students to its waiting lists.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/10/01/2010-10-01_behind_parents_desperation_to_get_kids_in_charter_school_the_news_uncovers__harl.html

I spoke to a teacher in Harlem last week, whose school shares space w/ a branch of HSA, and she reports class sizes of 29 in Kindergarten, and up to 41 in 3^rd grade at her school, because of enrollment increases, with no or no room to create new classrooms because of the co-location.

If you haven’t already, PLEASE send in comments to charters@suny.edu., and sign my petition, which sends a message to the Charter School Institute, SUNY board member and the head of the charter committee Pedro Noguera, and the full SUNY board, that NYC public school kids cannot afford to lose any more space to co-locations.

http://www.change.org/classsizematters/petitions/view/do_not_approve_nyc_charter_schools_that_will_take_space_in_our_public_school_buildings

Leonie Haimson

 

FOR INFORMATION ONLY

NO ACTION REQUIRED

 

UPDATE TO NOTICE PURSUANT TO
EDUCATION LAW SUBDIVISION 2857(1)

 

TO:                 Public and Nonpublic Schools in the Same Geographic Area as the Proposed
Charter School

FROM:           Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York (on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York)

SUBJECT:      UPDATE TO NOTICE OF RECEIPT AND PENDING ACTION ON CHARTER SCHOOL APPLICATIONS

DATE:            October 8, 2010

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Education Law subdivision 2857(1), the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York (the “SUNY Trustees”), in its capacity as a charter authorizer, will consider the following applications, previously scheduled for consideration in September, at its meeting on October 20, 2010:

The Bronx Success Academy Charter School 3: Proposed location is NYC CSD 7 with a planned opening of September 2011.  Proposed enrollment and grades served are as follows: 1^st year – 188 students in grades K-1; 5^th year – 689 students in grades K-5.

The Success Academy Charter School: Proposed location is NYC CSD 3 with a planned opening of September 2011.  Proposed enrollment and grades served are as follows: 1^st year – 188 students in grades K-1; 5^th year – 689 students in grades K-5.

The Charter Schools Institute welcomes public comment on the above proposed action, which can be directed to the Institute at the address below or via email to charters@suny.edu.

For further information regarding this Notice, please contact the General Counsel of the Charter Schools Institute, Ralph A. Rossi II, at (518) 433-8277 or ralph.rossi@suny.edu.