[pathways-teach] NY budget gives charter guarantees, nixes nixes moratorium on teacher evals
- From: Marjorie Stamberg <marjoriestamberg@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: pathways-teach@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, UFTerstoStoptheWar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, NYcoreupdates@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 07:52:49 -0400
NY State budget says city must house charter schools free; also NO
moratorium on Common Core. The campaign for the charter schools was
spearheaded by a $1 million ad campaign by an outfit called Families
for Excellent Schools. What families might those be? This foundation
is founded by Walton Family Foundation -- that's Wal-Mart.
The UFT seriously under-mobilized to fight this threat -- and the
result is worse than before.
See today's NY TImes
State Protections for Charter Schools Threaten de Blasio's Education Goals
By JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZ
Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
A rally for charter schools in Albany. Mayor Bill de Blasio's decision
to deny space to three such schools prompted a backlash. Credit
Mayor Bill de Blasio has mapped out an ambitious agenda for education
in New York City. He wants to reinvigorate schools on the verge of
shuttering, open 100 schools with health clinics and therapists at
their core, and train more students for careers in science and
technology.
But the budget deal announced by state leaders on Saturday, which
would require the city to find space for charter schools, may cut into
Mr. de Blasio's priorities.
Charter schools, which serve about 6 percent of students citywide, are
poised to expand significantly in New York over the next several
years, potentially attracting as much as 10 percent of students by
2017, according to education advocates. And it is up to the state --
not the city -- to approve any new charter schools, leaving Mr. de
Blasio virtually powerless to stop their growth.
With classroom seats in short supply across the city, Mr. de Blasio
may find it difficult to accommodate charter schools and find space
for some of his own programs.
Mr. de Blasio has said he is willing to work with charter schools, so
long as they do not disrupt programs run by traditional public
schools. He named a committee of district officials and charter school
leaders last week to help mediate disputes over space and
overcrowding.
But conflict seems likely given Mr. de Blasio's vision for the school
system -- he has said repeatedly that he would like to focus resources
on traditional public schools -- and the reluctance of many charter
school leaders to cede ground.
"We're going to work with every kind of school," Mr. de Blasio told
reporters at the Greek Independence Day Parade in Manhattan on Sunday.
"We want to serve the children of this city regardless of what kind of
school they go to."
The mayor rejected the notion that state lawmakers had diminished his
authority over city schools by weighing in on charter schools.
"The decisions about the space will be made by the Department of
Education," he said. "That's the bottom line."
Mr. de Blasio came under attack for denying space to three charter
schools in February. While he allowed a vast majority of requests for
public space from charter schools to go forward, and he agreed to find
space for one of the affected schools, his decision prompted a fierce
backlash from supporters of charter schools.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Republicans in the State Senate seized on the
momentum, and on Saturday they announced an agreement that would
provide charter schools in New York City some of the most generous
protections in the country.
Under the deal, the city would be required to find space in public
buildings for charter schools, which operate independently of the
school district but receive public funds. If the city could not, it
would have to cover the cost of renting private space, up to $40
million. Charter schools could challenge the city's selection of space
through an arbitration process.
State leaders tackled a variety of other contentious education issues
in the budget agreement. They largely left intact the new Common Core
curricular standards and exams, rejecting calls from unions to halt
the use of student test scores in evaluating teachers. But they
limited the amount of time schools could devote to test preparation.
Lawmakers seemed receptive to complaints about student privacy; the
agreement would allow districts to withhold identifying information in
working with companies that manage education data, and the state would
appoint a chief privacy officer.
Under the agreement, high-performing teachers would be eligible for
$20,000 bonuses. Students pursuing careers in science, technology,
engineering and math would be given grants for college study, and
university graduates operating farms in New York would be offered
forgiveness for student loans up to $10,000 for up to five years.
There were some setbacks for charter schools in the deal, including a
requirement that they be subject to audits by the state and city
comptrollers. But for the most part, charter school advocates won what
they were seeking, largely because of the strength of their political
operations.
First authorized by the state in 1998, charter schools have grown
significantly; there are now 183 in New York City. They have built
robust organizing operations, mobilizing tens of thousands of parents
and raising tens of millions of dollars, much of it from Wall Street.
Families for Excellent Schools, a charter school advocacy group,
financed a series of advertisements in recent weeks highly critical of
Mr. de Blasio's actions. On Sunday, with its demands largely met, the
group indicated it would take the ads off the air.
Charter school advocates said the allure of free space in New York
would most likely attract new charter school operators to the area and
prompt existing schools to consider expanding their enrollment. The
city can add as many as 66 charter schools under a cap imposed by
Albany, though the limit could be raised.
Education experts said they were not sure where the city might house
the new programs. Mr. de Blasio has expressed skepticism about closing
low-performing schools, a strategy favored by his predecessor, Michael
R. Bloomberg, to make room for new programs, including charter
schools.
Dave Levin, a founder of KIPP Public Charter Schools who was appointed
to Mr. de Blasio's school space committee, said he was hopeful the
mayor could find common ground, perhaps by joining with charter
schools in his push to expand prekindergarten in the city.
"There's a lot of opportunity there for sharing and learning from each
other," Mr. Levin said.
State Protections for Charter Schools Threaten de Blasio's Education Goals
By JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZ
Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
A rally for charter schools in Albany. Mayor Bill de Blasio's decision
to deny space to three such schools prompted a backlash. Credit
Mayor Bill de Blasio has mapped out an ambitious agenda for education
in New York City. He wants to reinvigorate schools on the verge of
shuttering, open 100 schools with health clinics and therapists at
their core, and train more students for careers in science and
technology.
But the budget deal announced by state leaders on Saturday, which
would require the city to find space for charter schools, may cut into
Mr. de Blasio's priorities.
Charter schools, which serve about 6 percent of students citywide, are
poised to expand significantly in New York over the next several
years, potentially attracting as much as 10 percent of students by
2017, according to education advocates. And it is up to the state --
not the city -- to approve any new charter schools, leaving Mr. de
Blasio virtually powerless to stop their growth.
With classroom seats in short supply across the city, Mr. de Blasio
may find it difficult to accommodate charter schools and find space
for some of his own programs.
Mr. de Blasio has said he is willing to work with charter schools, so
long as they do not disrupt programs run by traditional public
schools. He named a committee of district officials and charter school
leaders last week to help mediate disputes over space and
overcrowding.
But conflict seems likely given Mr. de Blasio's vision for the school
system -- he has said repeatedly that he would like to focus resources
on traditional public schools -- and the reluctance of many charter
school leaders to cede ground.
"We're going to work with every kind of school," Mr. de Blasio told
reporters at the Greek Independence Day Parade in Manhattan on Sunday.
"We want to serve the children of this city regardless of what kind of
school they go to."
The mayor rejected the notion that state lawmakers had diminished his
authority over city schools by weighing in on charter schools.
"The decisions about the space will be made by the Department of
Education," he said. "That's the bottom line."
Mr. de Blasio came under attack for denying space to three charter
schools in February. While he allowed a vast majority of requests for
public space from charter schools to go forward, and he agreed to find
space for one of the affected schools, his decision prompted a fierce
backlash from supporters of charter schools.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Republicans in the State Senate seized on the
momentum, and on Saturday they announced an agreement that would
provide charter schools in New York City some of the most generous
protections in the country.
Under the deal, the city would be required to find space in public
buildings for charter schools, which operate independently of the
school district but receive public funds. If the city could not, it
would have to cover the cost of renting private space, up to $40
million. Charter schools could challenge the city's selection of space
through an arbitration process.
State leaders tackled a variety of other contentious education issues
in the budget agreement. They largely left intact the new Common Core
curricular standards and exams, rejecting calls from unions to halt
the use of student test scores in evaluating teachers. But they
limited the amount of time schools could devote to test preparation.
Lawmakers seemed receptive to complaints about student privacy; the
agreement would allow districts to withhold identifying information in
working with companies that manage education data, and the state would
appoint a chief privacy officer.
Under the agreement, high-performing teachers would be eligible for
$20,000 bonuses. Students pursuing careers in science, technology,
engineering and math would be given grants for college study, and
university graduates operating farms in New York would be offered
forgiveness for student loans up to $10,000 for up to five years.
There were some setbacks for charter schools in the deal, including a
requirement that they be subject to audits by the state and city
comptrollers. But for the most part, charter school advocates won what
they were seeking, largely because of the strength of their political
operations.
First authorized by the state in 1998, charter schools have grown
significantly; there are now 183 in New York City. They have built
robust organizing operations, mobilizing tens of thousands of parents
and raising tens of millions of dollars, much of it from Wall Street.
Families for Excellent Schools, a charter school advocacy group,
financed a series of advertisements in recent weeks highly critical of
Mr. de Blasio's actions. On Sunday, with its demands largely met, the
group indicated it would take the ads off the air.
Charter school advocates said the allure of free space in New York
would most likely attract new charter school operators to the area and
prompt existing schools to consider expanding their enrollment. The
city can add as many as 66 charter schools under a cap imposed by
Albany, though the limit could be raised.
Education experts said they were not sure where the city might house
the new programs. Mr. de Blasio has expressed skepticism about closing
low-performing schools, a strategy favored by his predecessor, Michael
R. Bloomberg, to make room for new programs, including charter
schools.
Dave Levin, a founder of KIPP Public Charter Schools who was appointed
to Mr. de Blasio's school space committee, said he was hopeful the
mayor could find common ground, perhaps by joining with charter
schools in his push to expand prekindergarten in the city.
"There's a lot of opportunity there for sharing and learning from each
other," Mr. Levin said.
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