Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
RAVITCH: NY Legislature: Billionaire-funded Charter Schools WON'T PAY RENT for Public Space
Did you ever notice that legislature never seem to talk about a budget crisis when it comes to the pet projects of the wealthy like turning public schools over to for-profit charter companies?
Too many Democrats support this profoundly corrupt, corporate-driven K-12 education "reform" business, and they should be primaried out of office.
At the very least, support for these policies should kill the chance of pols like Cuomo reaching higher office. When you sleep with dogs, you've got too fucking many fleas to be in the White House.
The following just in as the New York State Legislature responds to the pressure of a $5 million advertising campaign demanding free space for privately-managed charters. Also, the billionaires behind this ad campaign have given handsome sums to Governor Cuomo and other key politicians. Cuomo has received at least $800,000 from the charter advocates. Under the legislation below, the charters are given the right to expand as much as they want, without paying rent, pushing out the public school that once was sited in the building. The charters can afford to pay their "CEO" half a million dollars, but they can't pay the rent. They can pay millions for attack ads on television, but they can't pay the rent. They can hire the politically-hot public relations firm SDK Knickerbocker more than $500,000 a year, but they can't pay the rent. Their biggest boosters are billionaires, like Paul Tudor Jones, whose Robin Hood Foundation raises $80 million in a single night, but the charters can't pay the rent. The charters are proving to be public parasites in New York City, invading the host and doing harm to the 94% of children who are not in charters.
***
One more point: When the Common Core tests were given a year ago, students in charter schools got the same average scores as students in public schools, even though the charters have few if any students with severe disabilities (and the public schools in poor neighborhoods have nearly 15%), and the charters typically have half as many English language learners. There were a few high-flying charter schools, but even more high-flying public schools. On average, there was no difference between the public schools and the charter schools.
***
Looks like the City is forced to offer either space or rent to new or expanding charter schools.
http://wp.me/p2odLa-7yc
***
One more point: When the Common Core tests were given a year ago, students in charter schools got the same average scores as students in public schools, even though the charters have few if any students with severe disabilities (and the public schools in poor neighborhoods have nearly 15%), and the charters typically have half as many English language learners. There were a few high-flying charter schools, but even more high-flying public schools. On average, there was no difference between the public schools and the charter schools.
***
Looks like the City is forced to offer either space or rent to new or expanding charter schools.
http://wp.me/p2odLa-7yc
13 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
