General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsUnreal! NYDOE gave principals 24 hour notice to clean, clear space for Success Charter Academies.
Eva Moskowitz is one very special charter school owner in New York. Public school principals were ordered at the end of June to clear the way for her to move into their schools rent-free.
But of course we already knew she had special contacts in the state of New York.
Harlem charter school head emails show very special access to NY school chancellor
Lombard for News
Success Charter Network founder Eva Moskowitz and NYC Chancellor Joel Klein sharing a laugh during an event.
On Oct. 3, 2008, Eva Moskowitz, a former city councilwoman and head of four charter schools in Harlem, e-mailed schools Chancellor Joel Klein for help. Moskowitz wanted more space to expand her Harlem Success academies and she had two specific public school buildings in mind.
"Those schools are ps194 and ps241," she wrote to Klein. "It would be extremely helpful to move quickly on."
Less than two months later, the Department of Education announced plans to phase out those schools and use the space to expand two Harlem Success academies.
Now to the present time and her growing power over public schools.
NYC: Public School Principals Given 24 Hours to Clear Space for Evas Charters
Only one charter chain gets special treatment in New York City, and that is Eva Moskowitzs Success Academies.
Principals have beenr told they had 24 hours to clear and clean the space where her schools will co-locate rent-free. The city hired hundreds of workers to get the space in order.
The 1 million children who attend public schools are second-class citizens.
Evas 7,000-10,000 students are extra-important and privileged. After all, Eva not only gets free public space, she may expand and kick out kids with disabilities if she wishes. Her billionaire friends on Wall Street control the legislature. She can hold a dinner and raise over $7 million on a single night.
More about this from another source:
Principals Given Just 24 Hours to Make Way for New Success Academy Schools
Since Mayor Bill de Blasio took office, the charter chain didn't seem to have an ally in City Hall. During his mayoral campaign, de Blasio criticized co-locations and charter networks receiving free space in city schools, singling out Moskowitz's chain.
In February, as mayor, de Blasio nixed plans for three Success Academy schools to share space at city schools. But when Gov. Andrew Cuomo later backed Moskowitz and charter schools, de Blasio reversed course and found room for the three Success Academy schools in former Catholic schools.
Cuomo and the state Legislature also put provisions in the state budget requiring the city to provide charter networks with rent-free space at public schools or pay most of the cost of space at a private location.
The very nerve and arrogance of these "reformers" (privatizers) whom Arne has enabled with his policies angers me so much. I quit trying to justify these attacks on public schools long ago. Just to think of the powers in DC deliberately undermining our traditional public school system makes me ill.
And to show Arne Duncan's ignorance about unions and their voices...all we need to do is read about his response to the NEA calling for him to resign. He had the nerve to say that he did not involve himself in "local union politics". The NEA is a national teachers' union. Either he knows that and doesn't care.....or he doesn't care enough to find out about it before responding.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)For some reason I seem to remember that the Republikons are the ones who want to defund public education.
What the heck. I'm old. Why should I care?
madfloridian
(88,117 posts)Old, that is. And tired of watching this mindless destruction of schools.
It's true, Democrats are the ones who once supported public schools.
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)Anti-public education.
Anti-union.
Willing to cut SS.
Anti-regulation.
Pro- "free trade".
Pro- secrecy.
Anti-whistleblowers.
Pro-surveillence state.
Pro-militarized police.
Pro-Wall St.
But they're gay friendly.
madfloridian
(88,117 posts)They went after corporate money. But then we already know that here. Some just not willing to accept it.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)If Democrats support the same things as Republikons, We the People have a problem.
From what I can tell, the piratization of public education is another example of where our elected officials don't do what the best thing for the country is, they do what the best thing for people with money is.
Pure Buy-Partisanship. Like war, evidently.
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)Conservatives look at Govt budgets (Education, SS, military, etc) and say to themselves: "Hey, if we can get access to that money we can profit from it". Thus the desire to privatize is profit-driven, not efficiency driven. And the Third Way New Dems are more than willing to oblige, as long as a few million are steered their direction.
After taking $7 million from Goldman-Sachs alone, does anyone REALLY believe Hillary is going to be a progressive and fix wealth inequality? Fat chance.
n2doc
(47,953 posts)In fact, one might argue that he really isn't one at all, except that he calls himself one. His policies aren't traditional Democratic Party ones.
I hope like hell he doesn't run for POTUS in 2016, or if he does, that he is humiliated in the primaries. He would destroy the party.
madfloridian
(88,117 posts)madfloridian
(88,117 posts)A network spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday that 27 eighth-graders took the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test last fall, but none scored high enough to be offered a seat at one of the elite high schools that rely on the test, like Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech or Bronx Science.
Citywide, some 26,000 eighth-graders took the specialized high schools test in the fall of 2012, and 20% were offered a seat. So youd expect a minimum of five or six students from Success 1 to score high enough to get into one of the elite schools.
...We were shocked that none of our students was offered a seat in a specialized high school, one parent told the Daily News.
n2doc
(47,953 posts)Mc Mike
(9,114 posts)Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)ananda
(28,858 posts)... since being humiliated over charter schools.
This is a bad business.
madfloridian
(88,117 posts)Hate to think he's really changing his viewpoint.
Or is that just optimistic thinking?
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Alas, so would Mom. They both spent much of my recent visit trashing him. This from the woman who carried me on her shoulders to a McGovern rally in '72.