As a candidate for mayor, Bill de Blasio electrified crowds of parents and education activists with a pledge to charge rent to charter schools, one of the starkest policy departures from his predecessor, Michael R. Bloomberg... NY Times, March 10, 2014Well, finally, a word or two that gets to the heart of the issue. The Mayor ran on an anti-charter platform and beat the guy who ran on a pro-charter platform. But then the article in the Times drifts into the admitted failure of deB to articulate a firm policy.
These groups don't have the money or resources but the de Blasio election with 75% of the vote over the pro-charter Lhota does mean something.
I'm betting the UFT is putting some resources into this but far behind the scenes and in fact is crippled by the fact that they have a co-located charter school and don't pay rent. So on the biggest ed issue of the day, the UFT must play in the shadows. (I will post some video of the rally the UFT did help organize at Seth Low -- but that is the great district UFT rep doing the heavy lifting.)
And notice how much more press the Moskwitz law suit is getting over the Tish James law suit to stop even the co-locos deB gave Eva. How delicious would that be?
Parents and Allies of Mayor de Blasio Debunk Charter Lobbyists’ Misinformation Campaign
*They Will Respond to Success Academy's Lawsuit over Co-locations and Defend de Blasio's Policy*
At Harlem Event, PS 149/PS 811 Parents, Rev. Michael Walrond, and Allies of Mayor de Blasio Will Rally for Reversal of Co-locations and Set the Record Straight
On the Heels of a New Video Campaign, Harlem Parents Will Discuss Why the Expansion of Success Academy in Their Schools' Building Would Have Been Harmful
WHO: Parents and Teachers from PS 149 and PS 811; Harlem Congressional Candidate Rev. Michael Walrond; Top Supporters of Mayor de Blasio.
WHAT: PS 149/PS 811 parents and their allies speak out in support of Mayor de Blasio’s decision to reverse the co-location in their school building. This event will come on the heels of a new video ad campaign these parents will launch Monday to debunk the misinformation and distortions that charter school lobbyists have been pedaling to the press.
WHERE: PS 149/PS 811, corner of 117th St and Lenox Ave., Harlem
WHEN: Monday, March 10, 4 p.m.
WHY: PS 149 and PS 811 lost several classrooms and a lot of space when Harlem Success Academy 4 was first co-located in their building in 2008. PS 811, a District 75 school for students with special needs, would have lost five additional rooms, including its only therapy room and a state-mandated room for conflict resolution, if Success Academy had been allowed to expand. Parents will speak about how Mayor de Blasio’s new process for evaluating co-locations strikes the right balance and takes into consideration the impact on existing district public schools.
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Dan Morris--
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| The hedge-fund cronies behind Eva Moskowitz and Success Academy are spending millions on TV ads to tell people that Mayor de Blasio is hurting children by refusing to allow her corporate-backed schools from moving into any public school they please. What her ads don't tell you is the truth. Were it not for de Blasio's decision to prevent the co-locations of P.S. 149 and P.S. 811 in Harlem, the building would be at 132% capacity. It would force students at the existing schools, many of them special-needs students, to hold classes and occupational therapy in the hallway. Check out this video made by students and parents from the two schools. Fortunately these parents don't have to worry about finding another school for their children, and they're thanking Mayor de Blasio for standing up against the corporate education movement and standing with public school parents and students. We are too. Click here to thank Mayor de Blasio for protecting the students of PS 149 and PS 811! During the last 12 years of the Bloomberg administration, thousands of public school parents and students in our communities have been under constant threat of being forced out of their local schools, or forced to compete for resources and space with co-located schools. That administration is gone; it's time to rebuild and reinvest in our public school system, and to defend students like those in PS 149 and PS 811. Join the parents of PS 149 and PS 811 in thanking Mayor de Blasio for taking a stand for special-needs students, parents, and NYC public schools. Best, Olivia Leirer Communications and Social Media Director New York Communities for Change | ||||
Bertha Lewis Condemns Success Academy Lawsuit
New York, NY— Bertha Lewis, President of The Black Institute and a nationally-recognized civil rights leader and progressive advocate, released the following statement tonight condemning the federal lawsuit filed by Success Academy against Mayor de Blasio’s recent reversal of three co-locations:
“This lawsuit is not about civil rights, it's about the privatization of public education. Mayor de Blasio has stood up to the Wall Street bullies and said they cannot seize classrooms from students with disabilities to advance their political agenda. The civil rights community stands with him,” said Lewis.
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