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.