City’s Schools Share Their Space, and Bitterness (charter schools in NYC)

[Bozita]

Source: NYTimes

November 30, 2009
City’s Schools Share Their Space, and Bitterness

By JENNIFER MEDINA
Suzanne Tecza had spent a year redesigning the library at Middle School 126 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, including colorful new furniture and elaborate murals of leafy trees. So when her principal decided this year to give the space to the charter high schools that share the building, Ms. Tecza was furious.

“It’s not fair to our students,” she said of the decision, which gives the charter students access to the room for most of the day. “It’s depriving them of a fully functioning library, something they deserve.”

In Red Hook, Brooklyn, teachers at Public School 15 said they avoid walking their students past rooms being used by the PAVE Academy Charter School, fearing that they will envy those students for their sparkling-clean classrooms and computers. On the Lower East Side, the Girls Preparatory Charter School was forced to turn away 50 students it had hoped to accept because it was unable to find more room in the Public School 188 building.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has made charter schools one of his third-term priorities, and that means that in New York, battles and resentment over space — already a way of life — will become even more common. He and his schools chancellor, Joel I. Klein, have allowed nearly two-thirds of the city’s 99 charter schools to move into public school buildings, officials expect two dozen charter schools to open next fall, and the mayor has said he will push the Legislature to allow him to add 100 more in the next four years.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/education/30space.html?_r=1&hpw

[WriteDown]

1. As a product of the NYC school system I can honestly say...

that the whole system is a mess. New York spends close to 16K per student per year! These kids should have the best supplies, teachers, facilities, etc and should blow away the rest of the country and other countries in test scores, but that is not the case.

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/of-all-states-new-york-schools-spend-most-money-per-pupil/

[madfloridian]

2. Do you agree then that taking money and buldings from public schools...

and giving it to charter companies...will solve the problem?

Really?

NYC is dismantling public education instead of fixing what needs to be fixed.

They are privatizing the schools with taxpayer money.

[WriteDown]

4. No...

But considering how badly they've squandered the opportunity they've been given, a total overhaul of the NYC public school system is needed. From top to bottom.

From the article:

"In Red Hook, Brooklyn, teachers at Public School 15 said they avoid walking their students past rooms being used by the PAVE Academy Charter School, fearing that they will envy those students for their sparkling-clean classrooms and computers."

The entire NYC school system should already have "sparkling-clean classrooms and computers."

edited to add thought.

[madfloridian]

9. Did you know they are giving taxpayer money to these charter schools

which takes it from the public schools?

You can't demand more and more and give a school system fewer and fewer resources. That is just plain madness.

That is corporate money giving the charter school PAVE those "sparkling-clean classrooms and computers."

Gates and Broad and Walmart give hundreds of millions to charter schools, plus they get public money.

It is called turning schools over to corporations without actually saying so.

[WriteDown]

11. I am well aware...

The Charter has to come up with the initial cost though. It is not the solution for sure, but you have to look at what led to these stupid measures. Total incompetence by the NYC school system over decades. 16K per student and the kids have barely had supplies over the years. New math books EVERY year (because math changes a lot), etc.

[madfloridian]

14. Incompetence comes from the top down.

Look higher than the teachers.

Hire good teachers, pay them well, let them teach.

[WriteDown]

15. This goes back decades.....

And there are plenty of good and bad teachers in the NYC school system. I've had both kinds. Usually they were either outstanding or atrocious with little in-between.

[madfloridian]

17. But look at who hired them.

I would say there are far more incompetent administrators than there are teachers.

And there are parents who are far more incompetent also.

But only teachers get the blame.

It's an excuse to turn it over to CMOs.

[WriteDown]

19. Most administrators are former teachers....

My cousin's wife just moved into administration from teaching in NYC as well as my Aunt. I have no idea if they were good teachers though.

[mbperrin]

3. This is what charters do. They bleed resources from a system.

Makes as much sense as this:

Cook: Hey, we've only got two eggs to make a 3 egg omelet!
Boss: You can't do anything right! We're going to take away one of your eggs. Now make a 3 egg omelet.

When a system is already short of resources, you can't improve it by taking them away. period.

Course, b-school graduates from John Galt U cannot understand that....

[WriteDown]

6. Very true...

But NYC is not really short on resources. They just squander resources. I would love to see a complete audit of the NYC school system.

[tomm2thumbs]

5. if all our public schools were in good shape, there would be no need for alternatives

I guess that isn't the case in some instances and you can point the finger at whomever you like - but it doesn't change the fact that many schools have failed themselves and the kids they are supposed to help

[montanto]

7. And when they alternatives are neither

chosen by the people who must use them, nor have they been proven effective before-hand, the failure is often quite worse than the original problem.

[madfloridian]

10. They are giving public school money and resources to charter schools.

It is called privatization.

Your taxpayer money is paying for the privatization of schools.

[WriteDown]

12. Charters are bad, YES....

but the point is that some public school systems were awful before charters. NYC is a prime example.

[madfloridian]

13. Then you fix them. You don't give their resources to private companies.

.

[WriteDown]

16. Fix them how?

The same people who have been promising to "fix" them have been saying they would for 40 years. More money per student does not appear to be the answer. It is a nightmare and that is why people cling to bad solutions such as charter schools. When your kid is forced to go to what seems little better than a penitentiary, then people will try anything else; charters, homeschooling, etc.

[madfloridian]

18. Then the problem lies higher up in the chain of command.

[WriteDown]

20. I'm still not hearing solutions. nt

[madfloridian]

22. Ask Obama and Arne.

They are in charge now.

I have presented the case for teachers the best I can....yet you expect me to come up with solutions for NYC?

I know giving all the money to charters is NOT the answer.

[Hannah Bell]

24. "solutions" = same as they always were.

[vadawg]

25. yup, the main concern should be the kids, all else should pale in comparison

i dont care who gets my tax money as long as the parents and kids get to make the decisions that are right for them, whether its public school, charter school, vouchers for private school whether its a private religious school, music school or military school or whatever.

[goclark]

8. This is the tip of the iceberg ~ Charters are Not the answer

It is happening all over America. :cry:

[Bozita]

21. kick

[Hannah Bell]

23. There was already something in Los angeles where the city was giving

school building (built with California taxpayers' money) to private providers.

This is going to happen more often.

They'll sell the high-value properties, buy something in a cheaper location, & pocket the profit. Since parents become accustomed to sending their kids out of neighborhood area for schooling, kids will travel further & parents will foot the bill.

New York would be a great area for real estate profits. I can see the vultures circling.

[madfloridian]

26. Last I heard Los Angeles was putting up 250 schools for outside bidding.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/5015

"The corporate charter school movement is getting ready to rear it's ugliest face as LAUSD prepares to action off 250 schools (with part of this process headed by former Broad Resident Parker Hudnut). Media outlets in LA have frozen out the voice of teachers, painted union members as totally crazy, and refused to take any kind of critical look at this rapid expansion of charter schools despite a growing body of evidence that should give us reason to pause."

[Hannah Bell]

27. that's the one.