NY1 covered the press conference and subsequent vote here. Two things are missing from the news accounts which portray the controversy as charter proponents vs. opponents. First, the accounts don't address the lopsided nature of the opinion. Testimony at two public hearings ran overwhelmingly against the co-location. Only two speakers in favor of the proposal indicated they were actually from the neighborhood while many in favor were bused in from other Success schools around the city.
Second, the opposition is based not on dislike of charter schools but of how the community was systematically disenfranchised and excluded from any decision making. The groups and individuals comprising the coalition have, over decades, worked to transform Williamsburg from one of the city's most troubled neighborhoods. But rather than partner with the proven community leadership, the Bloomberg DOE instead turns over public school buildings to an organization headed by hedge fund men with no ties to the community. Success even targeted its advertising to the more affluent families in North Williamsburg and did no outreach in Spanish, the first language of many of the residents.
The coalition has filed a lawsuit based on the failure of Success and its SUNY sponsor to demonstrate the community support required by the State Education Law.
Video of Luis Garden Acosta and Council Member Diana Reyna here.
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Parents, you are being lied to about the importance of tests scores in your child’s public schools. It is not the teachers who are lying, they are forced to use the tests by school leaders, particularly at the state and federal levels. The truth is, the best of these tests do not predict how children will do in college or in life. They do not even predict very well how they will do in classes a couple of years from now. They are best at predicting how they will do on other useless tests in the future. Their real purpose is to enrich testing companies like Pearson, which not only make money from the tests, but also from remedial materials tied directly to the tests.
Meanwhile, the tests and test prep are stealing valuable time from instruction that really counts. Problem solving, higher level thinking, creative thinking, art, music, PE, and vocational classes have all been diminished by the emphasis on worthless testing in a few select areas of the curriculum. What I don’t understand is why do parents like you stand for this travesty. Your children’s future is being stolen by billionaires and everyone just watches.
If you are looking for a way to stop the corporate takeover of your local schools, join 4300 parents and educators in sending a letter to the President calling for a reduction or elimination of federally mandated testing, restructuring of the Department of Education, and firing the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. http://dumpduncan.org
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