Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Charter school expansion in NYC: common ground or battleground?


Past ads for Eva's charters ((DNAinfo)

According to today's New York Times, the Gates Foundation is giving $25 million to seven cities, including NYC, to encourage charter-district “collaboration.” The Gates spokesperson claims, “It’s pretty clear there is more common ground than battleground.”  Of course, the pro-charter, pro-privatization Gates people would like to convince NY Times readers and the public at large that this is true.

Unfortunately, the Times reporter did not feature any quotes from New York City parents or advocates who might have a different perspective.  

From today’s Daily News, the relationship seems like a battleground still; though one in which the charter schools get preferential treatment from their patron, DOE.  Eva Moskowitz demands science labs for all her Success Academy charter elementary school kids; but  at-risk HS students will lose their science lab as well as their gym in the Brandeis HS building because she wants to expand her school into their territory. As a result,  students from the Diploma Plus High School are being pushed out into a leased building in Washington Heights without these facilities.

Truly, the situation in NYC is like a “Middle East war” as Eva herself put it years ago, saying "Dividing land ain't pretty”.  Especially when like Eva, you have unlimited resources, political pull, and ruthless expansionism in your sights.

3 comments:

Michael Fiorillo said...

In the eyes of corporate education reformers, we can have common ground, as long as the rest of us do whatever they say: all testing all the time, teacher evaluations based on those endless tests, merit pay, wanton closing of public schools and the diversion of funds to privately-run charters and online "academies," the neutering of unions...

Yes, we can get along, as long as you allow us to profit off your destruction.

Unknown said...

There must be an end to the corporate welfare Eva Moskowitz and her for profit charters are profitting from No more co-locations, all schools must have a facility of their own. For profit charters must not be subsidized by public funds. She's paid a third of a million a year. No more from the public coffers.

Tight Line Productions said...

It's interesting to read about the public school systems in other parts of the country. Same system, but you can expect slight variations throughout the country. Great read.