The SUNY committee decided to table the motion to hike the fees of Eva Moskowitz's controversial charter network by 50%, probably because of a dynamite column by Juan Gonzalez today. Here is the account of what happened by Noah Gotbaum, chair of the Overcrowding and Charter Committee of Community Education Council in District 3.
There was no discussion before the Committee decided to table the motion to double the management fees of Success Academy network.
Ken O’Brien (SUNY Charter Committee Chair) just came in, called the meeting to
order and then said that the Committee was “tabling” the fee portion of the
merger resolution and that the rest would be discussed and voted on later in
the meeting.
In addition to the Committee
and Charter Schools Institute reps Ralph Rossi and Susan Baker-Miller, about 30 others in
the room in the room included a half dozen from Success (Jenny Sedlis , legal
counsel from Paul Weiss, usual parents), Lindsay Christ (NY1) and Ben Chapman
(Daily News), and two dozen from our side, including Jim Devor and many from New
York Communities for Change, complete with great signage. All in this
mahogany lined board room. Surreal.
Some discussion about what
would be on the agenda, prior resolutions, ground rules with O’Brien
alternately praising CSI’s “great work” while repeatedly saying there would be
no public discussion or comments. After about 15 minutes, he called for
an Executive Session and asked us all to leave, to which a number in our group
asked “what are you hiding?” and “why are you shutting out the public?”
O’Brien then called the guards in while the counsel explained that they
were discussing privileged and confidential lawyer/client information regarding
the charter replication process.
We were then pushed out to wait
downstairs for about 45 minutes after which we trudged back up to hear
Baker-Miller and Rossi provide the Committee with a powerpoint presentation on
the replication process and then the Success merger, the latter which had never
been undertaken previously in NY. Much self-important talk of “accountability,”
“financial and academic performance,” “streamlining,” and nuts and bolts of
all.
After about 20 minutes O’Brien
called for a discussion of the Success Merger resolution. There was
none. Zero. Not a word. Resolution wasn’t even read. He
then called for a vote at which point I call out: “where is the public
comment?!” Silence. I then called out again and asked what happened
to the comments from Friday’s public hearing? O’Brien: “there will
be no public comments!”
I asked again: “I understand
that you are not taking public comments at this meeting but we want to know
what happened to the comments made at the hearing and via email to SUNY and the
DOE? What happened to those? Did you see them?” More
Silence.
O’Brien gets up and motions to
guards who enter the room. “Why hold a public hearing if you aren’t even
considering what was said by the public?” O’Brien then motions for a
vote, awkward five second silence while he waits for a second to his proposal
which finally comes, and then the unanimous voice vote – no roll-call,
boom. Then immediately “meeting adjourned” after which O’Brien and
Committee members flee into an ante room leaving Rossi, Baker-Miller a stray
member, three or four guards and angry community members.
A bunch of us then stand across
the table from Rossi and push him on why hold a public hearing if the comments
are not discussed by the Committee or even given to them? “Not required” he
tells us.
“What?” we ask.
Rossi continues: “The only
comments we are required to consider are those submitted by the District, who
in this case is represented by the Chancellor - and he didn’t submit
any.”
“So again, why hold a public
hearing if you only are obligated to consider the Chancellor’s opinions?” we
ask. “The hearing was publicized – terribly – for the public, not for
Walcott” we add.
“If Walcott wants to consider
what is said at the hearing and incorporate it he can, but he didn’t,” we are
told.
“So what happened to our
comments?” we ask.
“They were recorded and given
to the Chancellor and to us” he says.
“No they weren’t,” we
say. “They weren’t even written down by the DOE.”
“Well, we get a summary of
them,” he says.
“Really?” we ask. “Have you
received them?”
“I will have to check…” says
Rossi. Conversation and meeting over.
Obviously Juan Gonzalez’s
article embarrassed SUNY into tabling Eva’s management fee increase. In
short, they were “caught” and didn’t want to deal with the uproar today.
But am sure they will figure out a way to get Eva her extra millions, we just
won’t hear about it.
And Eva obviously needs the
extra cash since she now has a more streamlined and efficient structure.
Although when I worked in the business world, increased efficiency led to lower
costs not higher. What am I missing? Maybe the funds are going to
increased services like self-contained classes? But wasn’t she required
to provide those previously?
Oh this is all so confusing.
Maybe that’s why the SUNY Trustees just leave all these difficult decisions up
to their staff at the Charter Schools Institute. They, like Eva,
Bloomberg, Michelle Rhee and her hedge fun financiers at Students First, know
far better than we parents do what’s best for our kids. Thank goodness for
them…
