Proposed Charter School at PS 15 STOP IT NOW!!!!

Subject: PS 15

PS 15 is a good school in a tough neighborhood. By many indices - test scores, attendance rates and exmission results - it is on par with or better than highly sought after schools such as PS 261, PS 107 and PS 154.

One of chief reasons for the school's success is its smaller classes and lower teacher-student ratio. The DOE's proposal to site PAVE Academy at 71 Sullivan Street would result in larger classes and few resources (e.g. math lab, less gym and schoolyard time) for the PS 15 community.

In a nutshell, no parent, civic leader or teacher in the Red Hook area supports the PAVE Academy. It is a front for anti-labor, pro-corporate groups looking to privatization public education. Charter schools play a huge role in the national Republican Party’s agenda to privatize public services, slash government funding and permanently weaken organized labor.

Moreover, Spencer Robertson, a Tiger Foundation scion (yes, that's daddy's org) turned educational wonk decided he wanted to open a charter school. So he pulls up 2000 census data (while working on his MBA at Stanford University no less) and concludes that Red Hook is just the place. His big mistake was neglecting to perform the necessary due diligence - he never asked Red Hook parents if needed or wanted his school. His other tactical mistake was underestimating how organized and well-informed Red Hook residents really are. He thought parents and community stakeholders were asleep at the wheel out here and that he would be able to skate right and set up shop. Boy he was wrong!!

That said, if you oppose the charter school at PS 15, contact Councilmember Sara Gonzalez at [email protected]

Peace Out

Subject: falling through the cracks

As a NYC public school teacher, I have seen firsthand the resistance of a particular community to a charter school, run by Columbia University, to be placed in an elementary school in Harlem. It is easy to rush to judgment and assume that these charter schools are the "enemy", an unhealthy competition for schools with declining enrollment and extra space. But there's no reason that two well-performing schools cannot be housed within the same building, especially when the existing public school is at nearly half capacity. Consider that charter schools are important tools in experimenting with closing the achievement gap, broadening parental responsibility, and developing high-impact instructional strategies. Charters should not be written off a step towards the privatization of our school system - if anything, they offer greater choice and freedom to some of the most disadvantaged communities and populations in urban areas. Students are admitted by lottery and preference is given by district zoning. Shouldn't we want to prevent as many students from falling through the cracks of our failing system as possible?