Red Hook charter paves way out of P.S. 15, but can’t say when

turf wars

September 18, 2009

Red Hook charter paves way out of P.S. 15, but can’t say when

by Maura Walz, at 6:47 am

A packed crowd gathered for District 15's CEC meeting last night to discuss the shared space arrangement between P.S. 15 and PAVE Academy Charter School.

A packed crowd gathered for a District 15 CEC meeting to discuss the space-sharing arrangement between P.S. 15 and PAVE Academy Charter School.

The founder of a Brooklyn charter school locked in a battle for space with a district school announced yesterday that the school has signed a contract for its own building site.

But Spencer Robertson, founder of the PAVE Academy Charter School, declined to reveal the new location. Nor would he give a date for when the school would move there, instead re-iterating his request for a two-year extension to the school’s contentious site-sharing agreement with P.S. 15 in Red Hook.

“We will be out,” Robertson told a standing-room-only crowd in the auditorium of P.S. 15. “When?” shouted audience members.

The exchange came during an emotional District 15 CEC meeting to which charter school advocates and critics mobilized their most vocal allies. Audience members interrupted speakers, and those who approached the microphone seemed to compete over who could drown out the other groups’ claims.

PAVE Academy Charter School opened last year with 88 students in P.S. 15 despite fierce resistance from parents and teachers at the district school. According to the original agreement, PAVE would stay at the school until the close of the 2009-2010 school year.

But over the summer, PAVE administrators announced that they would seek an extension to allow time for construction on the school’s new space. The request sparked fears that the charter might stay and grow in P.S. 15 indefinitely, squeezing the district school.

Parents and teachers from P.S. 15 waved signs calling on the Department of Education to deny PAVE Academy’s request to stay housed in P.S. 15 until 2012, two years longer than originally agreed. PAVE parents and teachers donned the school’s blue t-shirts and clustered together in one half of the auditorium.

One P.S. 15 supporter claimed that PAVE’s students are not from the surrounding community, prompting shouts of “yes, they are!” from PAVE parents. A PAVE supporter argued that the charter school has as much right to the school building as P.S. 15, eliciting loud boos from the other half of the room.

Adding to the dispute were concerns that the education department is doling out preferential treatment to the charter school because of Robertson’s connections to the Bloomberg administration. Robertson’s father Julian’s grant foundation has donated more than $10 million to Bloomberg’s school initiatives.

Education department representative Courtney McNally said that the DOE followed a “more vague” timeline for approving charter school space extension requests than the formal process a charter goes through in their initial bid for shared space. “Ultimately, the decision will be made by the chancellor,” she said. The department would be in further touch with the CEC, she added.

After the meeting, Robertson told me that he wasn’t comfortable revealing the location of the school’s new site because the school is still in a 120-day due diligence process before closing on a deal that could still fall through. The school will be razing an existing building and beginning new construction, he said, and so also could not commit to a firm timeline for leaving P.S. 15.

District 15 president Jim Devor said that he had wanted the first CEC meeting of the year to center on the charter school siting process more generally, rather than a direct forum on the P.S. 15 building. “But we deliberately set it at P.S. 15 because we knew this would be the center of the firestorm,” he said. “Obviously emotions ran high.”

http://www.sinksalive.blogspot.com KitchenSink

The Charter Center was probably trying to prevent Pogue from registering the .com sites for his association, so it doesn’t get confused with Mona’s by the public.

And you know, if the Charter Center WAS behind one of those sites, wouldn’t it be a better world if people like Geoff Canada would just get out of the way and disappear instead of helping interested parents like Mona? And that HCZ – can you believe that it’s a PRIVATE organization, trying to privatize public education!!

TRY TO THINK ABOUT WHAT ON EARTH YOU ARE SAYING HERE. Geoff Canada is a hero, to thousands of kids and families. The man is unassailable. Why must you insist on being on the wrong side of history?
moaning mona moaned again …

Moaning Mona – what success awaits you …fame and fortune.

Keeping PAVE at PS 15 for another year is a success?
That is another major failure of Bloomberg and Klein and dividing schools, communities, professions, everyone. And another year of lies from the Charter. Have you asked them about their new address? Bet they lied to you too.

It is a riot, Bloomberg says he brings communities together!

Ahhh, so now we get down to it. You own the domain names and the business.
Here’s a big wink for ya . Good business idea.

So, any funding that comes in and your making the big bucks
from this too.

Well, it is better than being associated with the UFT.
Since no charters are really becoming unionized …like Randi said, I guess the end of the UFT is coming.
Ya think they would chime in. Absolutely nothing. They did not even use the word “charter” in their first two papers to the teachers. But, I digress.

Moaning Mona, you have just added to the stink of the charter school movement.
Remember … stink starts from the head down.
Disappointed Teacher

MMMA- You are really doing a disservice to all of us in the teaching profession and making the PS15 teachers look like a group of hateful, bitter and angry teachers. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out you, Suffering Teacher and Concerned Advocate are all PS15 teachers.

Moaning Mona Davids is still a public school parent. You are still a teacher. Attacking Mona Davids and complaining about charters not being unionized supports the charter movement and Mona’s assertion that all public school teachers, especially PS15 teachers only care about their jobs and not the children or their parents.

So what if she owns the domain names. What does that have to do with anything? Anyone can purchase a domain. Michael M, did some digging and we know that she owns hers but also that the Charter Center recently registered a few domain names similar to Mona’s. Makes me wonder what that is all about…

I don’t know Mona but if she really did start this charter parent association on her own then kudos for her. She took the initiative and started a non-profit.

I know you’re angry and I am too. I just learned a charter school may be moving in next year at our public school.

We need to find another way to fight these invasions because what you did at PS15, did not work.

The teachers at our school are not going to play into the charter movement or Mona’s hand. We’re better than that. We’ll fight them at the hearings and through our community leaders but we will never disrespect a parent even if it’s Moaning Mona.

“Michael M at 1:40pm

I’m always up for a good truffle hunt…

Click for yourselves (once we clear moderation):
http://whois.domaintools.com/nyccharterparents.com = “New York City Charter School Center”
http://whois.domaintools.com/nycharterparents.com = zilch
http://whois.domaintools.com/nycharterschoolparents.com = “New York City Charter School Center”

http://whois.domaintools.com/nyccharterschoolparents.com = “New York City Charter School Center”

So much for the dot COMS. At to the dot ORGS…

http://whois.domaintools.com/nyccharterparents.org = “A Happy DreamHost Customer”
http://whois.domaintools.com/nycharterparents.org = “A Happy DreamHost Customer”
http://whois.domaintools.com/nyccharterschoolparents.org = “New York City Charter School Center”
http://whois.domaintools.com/nycharterschoolparents.org = “New York City Charter School Center”

And, if you google “NY Charter Parents Association”, the first hit is to the dot ORG site. Mona’s.

Hope that helps clear the air, if only a tad.”
Red Hook Teacher

I’m a Red Hook resident and teacher who happens to think it’s a shame that we are all divided: teachers, parents, and students. Everyone deserves a choice of where to shop (Fairway or C-Town); where to bank (Sovereign or Chase) and where to send their children to school or teach (PS 15, PS 27, Red Hook Community School, PAVE or Summit). The problem is that the Mayor ultimately decides WHO will occupy what public space and for HOW LONG. Why not wage your war with him & the Chancellor and not with each other?

It’s a shame that some PS 15 students say hurtful things to PAVE students (many of whom are their former schoolmates; their current neighbors in the Red Hook Houses & all probably used to play with each other at Coffey Park). It’s a shame that both PS 15 and PAVE teachers all have the same desire: to change the lives of Red Hook children & their families – yet many of them don’t even speak to one another in the shared hallways. Did either school administration think about these things before PAVE was allowed by the DOE to occupy the space?

I wonder? What would happen if a PAVE student, teacher or parent needed help in the Red Hook streets… would a PS 15 staff member just stand by and watch? What would happen if a PS 15 teacher had a flat tire, PS 15 student or parent were in need of medical attention… would a PAVE staff member just stand by and watch. I stand by and watch this political craziness everyday an it’s sickening! Not all DOE public schools are good and not all are bad; likewise for Charter schools.

Everyone involved and those looking in from the outside need to take a deep breath and look at the larger picture. All of our children, PS 15 and PAVE, deserve a FREE quality education that will best prepare them for college (or other endeavors) and help them become productive, positive contributors to the Red Hook community and beyond. All of this divisive behavior is neither positive nor productive.
Red Hook Parent

It’s interesting that PAVE thinks they’re saving the “poor children of Red Hook.” I am a proud parent of a PS 15 student who almost made the mistake of enrolling my child at PAVE. I entered the lottery, my child was “chosen” and after I found out how they REALLY treat students, I decided that my child would stay in the AAA rated PS 15. I’ve visited the school and seen some teachers and even the principal man-handling misbehaving students. Why do you think the DOE was investigating PAVE Academy? It’s public record find out for yourselves.

Within only a year, why do you think some teachers and the former principal left – or were forced to leave the school — if PAVE is such a great opportunity why is it that so many students are leaving? They can’t all be moving out of Red Hook? It’s because parents like me are opening their eyes to the truth.

One parent even told me that she took her child out because PAVE lied to their family by promising that the school could meet their child’s special needs; that they had counselors, would have special education teachers in every grade and all of these other supports to work with their family. After a whole year, the child didn’t make real progress, was held over and the school knew the entire time that they weren’t able to meet their needs. PAVE was never never honest with the family… who suffers? The child.

I guess it’s so easy to further mis-educate children in poor communities because many parents either don’t know or are too busy trying to survive to get involved. With rich people who think they’re coming into our community to save us it doesn’t really matter about our kids after all… it’s all about the money the state will give you especially since schools get more money for children who have special needs. I wonder how the PAVE teachers and staff really feel? Would any of them put their children in PAVE? We will never know because they don’t want to get fired like the others for speaking out against the things that are really happening.

The other comments above from Pro-PAVE people mention that all of the PS 15 teachers are white and not from the community. What about at PAVE? All of the people who run the school are white and rich! None of their teachers live in Red Hook either and almost all of them are white as well… teaching our black and latino children. Everything will be happier once PAVE gets their own building. Why can’t Daddy Warbucks just write a check? Isn’t that how the school was started anyway according to an old Daily News article.

PS 15 is and will always be the BEST elementary school in Red Hook and it will be able to service more children and families once PAVE is out! Hey Hey! Ho Ho! PAVE Academy has got to go!
Hey Michael M

Dear Michael,

I hear you and your last comment. Yes, it is true the anger and bitterness that will always be there in PS 15 for the way the staff has been treated.

Please remember, we never asked for this.

PS 15 has been rated A for the past 3 years. That does not just happen. It is a real honor to be at PS 15. It is an honor to be a teacher. But when you are treated this way, like dirt, well, it is hard not to come across as bitter and hateful.

This is how Bloomberg and Klein are treating some people in the profession and will now continue to do so with the whole charter school movement. What is really sad is the message to the teaching community is not getting out there. The UFT who? What? Where? are non – existent. We pay the UFT for this? They are no better than the mayor and the dept of ed.

But you know something. Your comments and others are making me rethink something.
Let’s see how to say this…
What office worker says, “this is all about the office” ???
What bus driver says, “this is all about the riders” ???
What construction worker says, “this is all about the new building” ???

The true nature of our profession along with a teacher’s own humanity and needs are not ever supposed to be taken into account.

The teaching mantra – it is all about the kids, the parents, the community.

It is a great one, but you know, I as an individual, as a human being, I have real emotions, real needs, real feelings too. So we say this mantra. EVERYONE says the mantra … is it really taken to heart? By everyone involved with education … ?

Education is a business …. and the mantra sounds really good for business…they love it. What business is not out for itself. What politician is not out for themselves? name one for me …please.

For most teachers, we try hard to work with that mantra in our hearts. BUT, let’s not leave our some of our own basic human needs. I think people are forgetting that about teachers. I think it is unfair for everyone to constantly bring that up when everyone speaking in this blog has them too.

Then why would there be teacher meetings to give us a little respect to buy into new programs?
Surveys to ask our opinions about new ideas, methods, what’s working and what is not working?
Are they not about our feelings, how things work, not work, for us too?

Getting back to the charter school infection at PS 15 … none of that appreciation happened. No buy in, no talk about how this could work. Nothing. Just, here you go, we are doing this and you can do nothing about it …. so there! Too bad for you, you don’t like it. They say, “It is all about the parents, kids, community anyway..right.” So now the teachers look bad. But the charter is a business, that says everyday…it’s a public school. They will keep saying, they are public schools until everyone believes them.

That is what happened at PS 15 and so, now the teachers, who have worked so hard at PS 15 to turn the school around… we look like the bad ones.

Well Michael, sorry we are making the teaching profession look bad in your eyes.
The teachers at PS 15 are fighting for the room we had to make three consecutive A ratings continue. We are fighting for our kids, for our school, for our community. Sorry to let you down.

No one else will fight our fight…..
Hey Michael M It is all about SOME kids

Oh, but come to the school ….

See how the Bloomberg and Klein have make it “all about the children” …

Look at the charter school rooms …. freshly painted, cleaned, all brand new everything, technology up the wazoo … it is amazing.

Go next door. Right next door. See the not so cleaned public school rooms. Old books, old technology, if any. When were the rooms painted last …. um, when was the school built? Maybe not that long ago but…let’s say they are in need. As for floors being cleaned. Pave’s is fresh. There’s get done. PS 15′s floors, there are some rooms that have not been mopped or waxed in years.

Yes, let’s get to the mantra … hurry … it is all about the kids.
That needs to be changed ….. it is all about SOME kids.
Michael Fiorillo

This situation is an extreme, but soon to become epidemic, example of Bloomberg and Klein (and their Wall Street cronies) showing preferential treatment to some of “our kids” (by the way, where did their children go to school?), while taking resources away from others. There is nothing accidental about this; it’s part of their efforts to create a separate and unequal educational system that mirrors the separate and unequal society we have become.
Michael M.

Not sure why I’m being called out on this one. Erroneously at that. What the heck makes any anonymous commenters (teachers at PS15?) think my sympathies are with anyone *BUT* PS15′s parents, teachers, students, and aides? Your passion is most appreciated. But you have mistaken a friend for a fiend.

My positions have been crystal clear, and I will be happy to clarify them further. Hard feelings are totally understandable. And not to get bogged down in who owns what IP address, but it seems to me a relative distraction, and needlessly inflammatory when the “outing” is not supported by the facts. And this is NOT to sanction the charter invasions and space wars one iota. (“Person” the barricades!) Please reread my earlier postings. Thanks.

“This is all about the kids” has been perverted… by some. Translation: “This is all about MY kid, or MY philosophy.” Sheesh.

One Building !
One School !!
One Community !!!

P.S.
A quip of mine from last year: “The fog of war has nothing on the fog of wonks.” I will endeavor to be clearer.
Hey Michael

Hey Michael … the comments were and are more for clarification of ideas. Not against you. Sorry, if was taken and understood that way. It is just a heated time and there seems to be no end.
http://www.registerednurseonline.net/ http://virtual-valley.com/archives/2689

I discovered your webpage while researching for something different on Bing about topics related to movies, although I got the chance to look over this posting and I found it really helpful certainly.
it is all a lie

Even to this day … everything the mayor said, everything Klein said, everything Spencer said … have all been lies to the Red Hook Community. If you do not believe me … go see the construction that was supposed to start years and years ago. You will not find one stone unturned. NOT ONE STONE. But promises were made …. lots of promises. Everyone involved with Pave’s entrance into PS 15 has lied. What is truly sad, they don’t really care if they did or not. All the media is owned by the billionaires. You will never see this story. Even the politicians are owned by these people. This is America…. it is sad, very sad.

Our Twitter Updates

Frank Thomas, DOE spokesman just told me no arrests have been made tonight at PEP despite confrontation between protesters & police earlier. 5 mins ago
RT @leoniehaimson: It's been shown repeatedly that as one schl closes another overwhelmed w/ high needs kids that small schls won't take 10 mins ago
Shael: the suggestion that kids are moved around (to large, struggling high schools) just isn't accurate. 13 mins ago
@SchoolBook: Manhattan rep @PSulliv and mayoral appointee Lisette Nieves get into an argument she tells him to get off his "soapbox” 14 mins ago
Mayoral appointee Lisette nieves chimes in on an increasingly irate @PSulliv she says he's being rude. 15 mins ago
More updates...

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Jan
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29

GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

turf wars

September 18, 2009

Red Hook charter paves way out of P.S. 15, but can’t say when

Tips, questions, feedback?

Follow GothamSchools

Feb. 10: You’re invited!

Recently Posted Jobs

Chalk It Up

Recent Comments

Events Calendar

RSS Feeds

Our Twitter Updates

Archives

Copyright Notice