Parents Call for Moratorium on Charter Applications in District 2

Hey, we know CECs are basically powerless but they are expressions of where communities stand. The mostly affluent District 2 in Manhattan is being invaded by charters that are being forced into an already overcrowded district. Those who don't know that there is a corporate game being played under the neo-liberal agenda, just can't fathom the policies of the DOE in undermining the fabric of the public school system. As CEC3 leader Noah Gotbaum asks in our film, "Why is it that the NYCDOE which is supposed to manage our schools refrains from accepting any responibility or accountability for running them."

From CEC 2 President Shino Tanikawa:

At the March calendar meeting, the CECD2 passed the following resolution.

We passed four others:
1) against charter co-location (a renewal of an old reso),
2) against the turnaround proposals for school improvement,
3) for creating a construction fund tied to residential development, and
4) for amending the State law to give CECs authority to approve proposals on school closures, co-locations and grade truncations.

I hope to re-affirm the two resos we passed on the use of test scores at the next meeting.

RESOLUTION #58
Moratorium on Charter Applications in District 2

WHEREAS, charter schools were originally intended as pedagogical laboratories for innovation in teaching to better meet the needs of all our students, but particularly those at-risk, and to improve District schools by collaborating with District schools and sharing best practices with District schools;

WHEREAS, many charter schools in the City today are not pedagogical laboratories for educational innovation, do not serve students at-risk, and neither collaborate nor share best practices with District schools;

WHEREAS, some charter schools have discharged struggling students to improve school-wide test scores;

WHEREAS, many charter schools compete against District schools for per-student funding and school facilities and have created tension in the very community they serve and have even pitted parents against parents;

WHEREAS, according to the NY State Education Department, the educational needs in District 2, which was designated as a District in Need of Improvement (DINI), are 1) improving progress made by Special Education students in elementary and middle schools and 2) improving struggling high schools;

WHEREAS, the applications submitted by Success Charter Network and the Great Oaks Foundation do not address the educational needs in District 2;

WHEREAS, resources available to students in District 2 should be used to address the educational needs in District 2, rather than to create more school choice for students not at risk;

WHEREAS, families in District 2 have good options for their children’s education through their zoned or district wide option schools or Gifted & Talented programs for elementary school and through the middle school choice program;

WHEREAS, it is not clear if families in District 2 desire more options in the form of charter schools;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Community Education Council District 2 urges the SUNY Charter Institute and the NY State Education Department to institute a moratorium on charter school applications in District 2 unless proposed charter schools directly serve at risk students or until educational and community needs for charter schools are assessed and articulated by families, educators, advocates and students in District 2;

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the CECD2 rejects the applications made by Success Charter Network and Great Oaks Foundation.

Approved and adopted by CECD2 on March 28, 2012

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AFTERBURN: Families for Excellent Schools

New Astroturf org to create parent charter lobby.

A look at another player in the GAME: "Families for Excellent Schools"

The mission of Families for Excellent Schools is to mobilize public charter school families in support of aggressive education reform. 

We are a fast growing non- profit and advocacy organization that partners with over 50 high performing charter schools in New York City, Connecticut and Newark, New Jersey to train parents to participate and lead grassroots advocacy in their communities and with elected officials. We believe that the ability of parents to advocate and promote the schools’ their children attend is more important than ever. Families for Excellent Schools believes that coordinated parent voices are crucial to ensuring that all children have access to a high quality education. We turn out families for important events, we help parents to meet with elected officials and high profile community leaders, and train the most committed parents to lead these efforts on behalf of their schools. Additionally, we will be leading efforts in a massive Get Out the Vote campaign to register and educate charter school families and supporters on the power of voting for pro-charter school elected officials.

Their website: http://www.50can.org/who-we-are

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