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Charter schools say they are in favor of competition, and the unions generally say they are against that idea.

But they are using their massive fund of dues – what is it, $80 per teacher per month at this point? – to oppose charter schools.

Charter schools aren’t against unions. Many charter school faculties are unionized. Charter schools are against those who would tear down one of the few educational reforms that is working for their own personal or political agenda. And at this moment in time, with this approach being taken by NYSUT (robbing New York State’s poorest children of $40 to $50 million in school funding with their shameless lobbying and, indeed as we learn in the news today, actually causing teacher layoffs in upstate charter schools), the union is drawing a very line in the sand and saying, “We are against helping children in this way. We are for our own gain and to hell with the kids who will be hurt by our lobbying.”

What may be the most shameful is that there are real issues of communication that need to be addressed by charter schools, and real changes that need to be made. Instead of airing those issues in an open forum in a way that improves all schools, the message is drowned in a relentless “us vs. them” orchestrated by the union leadership.

Randi to kids: Drop Dead.

There is no doubt that this was a poor decision by the Union but do not mistake that poor decision with the Charter School/Public School Debate. Kitchensink, you are dong the same thing. Where is your open forum discussion that will “improve” the situation? I do not see it here.

Just another sad example of how the UFT’s interests are squarely in the corner of the adults its serves, and not the least bit for poor children who deserve a quality education. Thank you Simcha Felder for exposing the union’s profound hypocrisy.

[...] the United Federation of Teachers. They went to great effort to distribute talking points to those asking questions about charters – Ci…. Why try to exert such undue influence? What is there to fear? Charter schools offer a legitimate [...]

What I find troubling is that the City Council couldn’t come up with these questions themselves. In fact, I think they’re good questions that deserve to be asked and answered. I also wonder why education reporters are not asking these same questions. In fact, isn’t it the Mayor and Chancellor’s jobs to make sure every child in the city has access to quality education? Also isn’t their jobs to ensure that all children have a seat in their zoned schools? Hasn’t the Chancellor always talked about how important zoned schools are? I’m confused as to why this is such a scandal. Isn’t the UFT supposed to advocate for the children being served by public education? In my opinion, charter schools cannot be the only answer. They can be an answer, but zoned schools must also be functional. If not, the scenario becomes – lucky to get your child into a charter school, or unlucky and have them go to the “crappy” local public school. The mayor and the Chancellor must be held accountable for all the schools that don’t work. After all, isn’t mayoral control all about accountability?

Inexile how very correct you are. Charter schools cannot be the “only” answer to the problems that have plagued some City school districts. But the fact is parents will only tolerate terrible schools for so long before they abandon them. The schools of places like District 5, District 7, District 19, District 23 have had millions of dollars poured into them over the decades under the guise of “education reform.” And these “reforms” have not worked. Parents are not stupid. They are voting with their feet in droves. The reason the UFT is trying to undermine charters is that they see a movement afoot. The Mayor and Chancellor have cast a spotlight on these terrible schools and the UFT knows that innovation is an enemy to any public employee union: it means that their members will actually have to work for their paycheck if they are being made to look bad by charter schools, and (gasp!) those cherished tenets like teacher tenure, seniority and (another gasp!) teacher performance are all being brought up because of charters. This is never a good thing for a union that prizes more of the same like the UFT.

Crusader, do you know what I’m doing on the first day of my vacation? I’m grading papers that students wrote. I’m typing their work, so they can have more of a finished product to edit when they come back to school on the 20th. Do you know how many hours I work for the kids I teach when I’m not actually in the classroom? Every weekend I spend hours grading work and editing papers. I call parents. I e-mail students. My day starts at 8 so that kids who need me before classes start can come to my room to eat breakfast and work. My day ends at 5:00 so that after school kids can come to my room and talk and work. The same goes for my colleagues. My life from September to June is not my own. I expect this, as do most of my colleagues. I’m really tired of hearing about how teaches are the blame for everything wrong in the world of education. Have you ever actually (gasp!) taught in a public school. Do you understand how difficult it is, how all encompassing, and how little respect you get for the hard work you do. Most people wouldn’t last 15 minutes with the kids I teach. Lay off me and my hardworking colleagues. I don’t think we’re being made to look bad by charter schools, I think we’re being made to look bad by people like you.

[...] the New York Sun.  She is doing a great job covering all things education in New York.  She broke this story a few days ago.   At today’s education committee hearing, City Council members took turns [...]

Inexile give me a break. I have dealt with two terrible examples of your hard working colleagues and how they almost mis-educated my son from their abject laziness. While there are scores of hard working teachers, there are also scores who are in the system for no reason other than to wait until they can get their pensions. Cry me a river. This is the profession you chose. If teachers were universally confident in their performance, then they wouldn’t be pressuring their union to go against performance pay and for things like job protection and seniority. These things totally undercut your argument. Lots of us work hard — we don’t get badges for it, it’s what we’re paid to do.

The more I listen to ceolaf, the more I have to take back my statement, “Charter schools aren’t against unions.”

I should have said, “Some or most charter schools are not against unions.”

My guess is that most NYC charter operators, and teachers, are not ideologically wedded to the idea of school choice/charters. The primary goal is a sound education for all students. If you could have zoned schools, UFT organized, etc. etc., but teachers could universally feel successful and valued, and families could universally be satisifed, well then there would be no need for charter schools in their present form, would there?

For this poster, and I know for many others, it’s simply not happening. For those on the ground, charter schools are a vehicle to get to that serve-children-and-families goal, not an end in and of themselves.

[...] school lotteries, Democracy Prep in Harlem, as well as a quick update from Friday on the “Talkingpointsgate” story that the bloggers over at GothamSchools.org broke last [...]

[...] school lotteries, Democracy Prep in Harlem, as well as a quick update from Friday on the “Talkingpointsgate” story that the bloggers over at GothamSchools.org broke last [...]