Ed Notes Online: School Scope: Parent Action Conference: Opt Out Yes, Charters NYET!

Published in The WAVE, March 15, 2019

School Scope: Parent Action Conference: Opt Out Yes, Charters NYET!

By Norm Scott

The annual Parent Action Conference sponsored by NYC Kids PAC, Class Size Matters and Community Education Council District 2 (CECD2) took place on March 9 at the Peck Slip School in lower Manhattan, attracting some of the leading parent activists in the city. Kids PAC is the only lobby group focusing its attention directly on the interests of the children in public schools. The opening session was a discussion with state legislators:
Alicia Hyndman, Queens NYS Assembly Democrat 29th District, Jo Anne Simon, Brooklyn NYS Assembly Democrat 52nd District, Robert Jackson, NYS Senator from Manhattan. They were asked to respond to questions on a number of issues.

They all supported parent rights to opt out of standardized tests, opposed attempts to punish schools when numbers of parents opt out and opposed lifting the cap on charters in New York City, which has been reached. There are still over 90 slots open in the rest of the state and the charter industrialized complex has been pushing to get those added to our oversaturated city. It was pointed out that Republican state legislators support charters but few if any charters exist in their districts – they love them from afar as long as those charter bucks role in – but otherwise, NIMBY. They were also asked about the upcoming renewal debate on mayoral control. They all called for more limits and oversight.

At lunch we heard from Brad Lander, City Councilman from Brooklyn, and newly elected State Senator John Liu, who is making a comeback after being out of the public eye since the 2014 mayoral election – he was my choice. Liu is very well liked and as new chairman of the State Senate Education committee will have a lot to say about education. He is holding hearings on March 15 on the mayoral control issue – I am hoping to cover some of the hearing for The WAVE – maybe after a nice morning ferry ride.

Workshops were held on a number of issues. I attended the opt-out workshop which gave parents thinking of opting their children out of testing some practical hints on how to push back against administrators trying to talk them out of it. There is a parent opt out support group for anyone reading this who might be interested in saving their kids from the torture of the test. Contact me.

I also attended a workshop on fighting charters and there were a hell of a lot of angry parents there whose schools have been fractured by charter co-locations, including some former charter parents whose children were pushed out of the schools. A representative of the Community Education Council in District 15 (CECD15) reviewed some of the proposed changes to the charter law that calls for more oversight of charters. CEC15 has passed resolutions supporting these changes and word is spreading to other CECs around the city. There was a general view that the current blue wave has led to a wising up about the charter scam and that their movement has peaked. Like how about making sure there is a guaranteed quality neighborhood school, which has been the anchors of neighborhoods for a hundred years, for everyone?

There may be an attempt to bring these charter resolutions to our local CECD27 which does not seem to be very vocal publicly – I haven’t seen any reports on the monthly meetings in The WAVE or even announcements of meetings but I did find out online that the next meeting will be held on Tuesday March 19 at 7:30 at 82-01 Rockaway Boulevard. A reporter contacted me about whether CEC 27 was working on an integration plan, as has gone on in other districts. I have no idea but hope to find out.

Norm blog endlessly about education and politics at ednotesonline.com.