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.nycharterparents.org Mona Davids

I attended the CEC hearing last night and spoke in support of PAVE charter students and families. It was obvious Jim Devor is against charter schools. PAVE was not even on the Agenda to speak but the unionized anti-charter teachers were on the agenda.

I was also surprised that Jim Devor, President of the CEC, did not know that CEC’s have no authority in the siting of charter schools. He took great offense when I pointed that out to him. He obviously needs to go and brush up on NYS Education Law and the NYC School Governance Law recently overwhelming renewed by our state legislature.

The opposition against PAVE consists of PS15 teachers. The signed up speaker breakdown called to speak was:
PS15 Teachers – 9
PS15 Parents – 2

PAVE Parents – 5
PAVE Teacher – 1

The PS15 parents unlike the PS15 teachers spoke about how can we make this work. These our children. We’re in this school together. I respect you, you respect me – let’s figure this out.

The PS15 union teachers only spoke about how PAVE has inconvenienced them. They want PAVE out of the building, PAVE is trying to take over the building etc.

It was clearly obvious that the teachers of PS15 only care about themselves. Every teacher that spoke last night was white, did not live in the community and at the end of the night got into their cars and left. Every PAVE parent and PS15 parent that spoke was black.

Even the District 15 UFT leader was allowed by the CEC to speak and tell PAVE students and families to get out. How dare he and the other UFT teachers demand that when the UFT themselves with their UFT Charter Schools are sharing space in two public school buildings!

Only after the UFT leader spoke, Jim Devor “decided” to let Spencer Robertson speak for two minutes.

The PAVE students and families live in the community. All of the PAVE parents who attended the hearing also attended PS15 years ago. It’s their community NOT the teachers community.

Charter schools such as PAVE are closing the racial achievement gap. Charter schools are outperforming district schools in many districts in NYC.

How dare the teachers of PS15 who do NOT live in that community tell PAVE families who live in that community that their children must get out of a public school building in their community.

The PS15 teachers who all got into their cars last night and drove out of the community are the ones who need to get out of PS15 and not the students and families of PAVE Academy Charter School.

Charter Schools ARE Public Schools and according to NYS Education Law can share space in a public school building. Lastly, CEC’s have NO authority in the sightings and extensions of charter schools in public school buildings!

Our Children – Our Choice!

Mona Davids
President
New York Charter Parents Association
Michael M.

Per mayoral control law, both old and new, CEC’s indeed DO have the right to approve changes in catchment zone lines.

What is the meaning of that power if effectively the non-charter school space can get shrunk by DOE within a set footprint?
Gideon

I think it means that DOE cannot close a failing district zone school and replace it with a charter school it’s the only zone school in that zone, i.e., DOE can’t eliminate a zone.
Michael M.

Gideon,
That is a specific interpretation that I understand has been the basis for past legal challenge. But that’s hardly the full scope of the law’s wording or intent.

Further, what if the district zone school wasn’t even failing?

(Note my comments, above at 10:57 and now, don’t even need to mention “charter” to show the charter backers’ interpretation of the limits of CECs’ power is nonsensical.)
Gideon

Presumably the DOE wouldn’t close a failing school. I don’t see how the CECs’ power related to catchment zones relates to multiple schools sharing a building. Doesn’t the DOE have the authority to decide what to do with space in an under-utilized building?
http://www.cecd2.net Michael M.

Not unilaterally, no.

Why close outright a NON-failing (fixed it for ya) school, when you can steal its space with impunity? And so much for principal-as-CEO. Sheesh.

I have yet to hear of a single school that ever said, “Shrink me and bring in another.” Though there are plenty that have said, “We’ll be happy to bunk in.”

Note there are other clauses of the State Ed Law giving CEC’s input over school openings, closings, moves, buidling utilitzation, etc.

To my eye, the intent of the authors of the original mayoral control law was to ensure the district CEC’s were in the loop on these district-scale decisions.

Clearly the charter-chancellor and the charter supporters would rather mis-state the role of the CEC’s and/or ignore the law utterly.

(Click my name link, and click thru to the CEC2 lawsuit press release and filing. It’s all laid out.)
Dee

Indeed the meeting/hearing/forum was very heated yesterday evening! I have been a resident of Red Hook for five years. I am also a new mommy via marriage and new to the NYC school system. When my husband’s son moved in with us, we only could get him into P.S. 27. NONE of the other schools in the neighborhood had openings for him. We were informed he would be waitlisted. WAITLISTED…..For an education?!! It wasn’t until half way through his first grade year did we get introduced to PAVE. Our family pays our taxes, shops in Red Hook, plays at Valentino Pier and Coffey Park. I strongly believe that we have a right to utilize a community building that is designed to teach our children. I understand that the teachers of P.S. 15 do not want to share what they think is theirs, but the building is NOT theirs. The building belongs to the community. My son has a right to be there, whether he is a PAVE or PS 15 student. Last night, it appeared to be that the teachers of P.S. 15 are making the noise regarding sharing space, whereas the parents of the community are asking for a way to work together to work this out. No parent wants to see their child’s education suffer, but pinning students against students and parents against parents is selfish and destructive!
Brooklynmom

As was pointed out a few times last night, the issues here are larger than PAVE and PS15. The issue is how the DOE thinks about school space utilization and formulates their footprints. I also think that the DOE bares some responsibility for the hostility expressed on both sides. Sharing space is very complex. Incubating schools might be even more stressful than a permanent share. PS 15, from most accounts, is a school that is working for students, parents and teachers. School cultures are very sensitive organisms. Placing a school charter or otherwise in another school’s building (or what they perceive to have been their building for a number of years) can really disrupt a school’s culture. The PAVE folks want a school for their kids and so do the PS15 parents (there were more parents from PS 15 who spoke than was depicted by Mona above). I have no problem with teachers speaking. They are the ones who are most aware of the impact of shared space on the school. It is great for students to see their teachers engage in democracy. PAVE might turn out to be a great school. Who knows? There certainly were many fans there last night. If we keep this fight focused on one group of well-intentioned parents and educators and another, we risk seeing this pattern repeat over and over. The DOE must be held accountable for being fair in shared space decisions and for fostering peace on both sides. If they don’t they put the schools that are forced to share at risk and pit community members against community members. There has to be a better way!
Gideon

Depends what you mean by “shrink me.” If you mean shrink the amount of space I have to use for my program, of course no school wants that. Brooklynmom is right that school culture is sensitive, and it’s unfortunate that tension is created when a school in an under-utilized building gets used to spreading its program out across a large space. I used to use an empty classroom across the hall as a museum for my students’ projects. It’s hard to use less space than one is used to, but making room for new programs, especially if they provide different and/or better options for parents is essential.
Jim Devor

There’s an old Hollywood saying about published attacks: “I don’t care what they say as long as they spell my name right” By that standard, I guess, I owe Ms. Davids a “Thank you”. Unfortunately, that’s about all she got right.

For example, the subject of the CEC meeting was NOT to hold a hearing on any “request” by PAVE academy for an extension of its tenancy at PS 15. In the first place, to the best of my knowledge, PAVE has not formally made such a request. Second, even if it had, DOE would have had to go go through a series of procedures before a “hearing” could legally be held.

Rather, it was our goal to focus on the larger issue of “new” school siting within existing DOE facilities (BTW, not just Charter Schools) and how those decisions are made. For instance, has the DOE effectively embraced a “pay to play” strategy in its present and future siting decisions?

It is true that the meeting turned into a “battle of the bands” between PS 15 and PAVE partisans. Given that we deliberately chose to locate the meeting at that location, we should have foreseen that better. To the extent that we did not adequately communicate our agenda better, we (and especially, I) need to take responsibility. But it is entirely unfair to claim that each side did not get a full and fair opportunity to present its views. Spencer Robertson (who was give three – not two – minutes to present his position was not cut off and certainly offered no complaint to me (during our conversation after the meeting), that he had been deprived of adequate time to present his views.

Next. regarding the CECs supposed lack of “authority” in Charter School siting, Ms. Davids is at best, misleading. As most of the readers of this blog know, I have been deeply immersed in the intricacies of the Mayoral Control law and its recent renewal. Thus, I must respectfully point out to Ms. Davids the text of subdivision 21 of Section 2590-e of the New York State Education Law (“entitled “Powers and duties of community district education council.”) which empowers CECs to:

   Hold a joint public hearing with the chancellor or deputy  chancellor, or in the case of a proposed significant change in school  utilization the chancellor or his or her designee, and the impacted  school based management team regarding any proposed school closing or  significant change in school utilization, including the phase-out, grade  reconfiguration, re-siting, or co-location of schools, of any public  school located within the community district pursuant to subdivision  two-a of section twenty-five hundred ninety-h of this article [which, in turn,    creates an elaborate protocol for "any proposed school closing or  significant change in school utilization, including the phase-out, grade  reconfiguration, re-siting, or co-location of schools, for any public  school located within the city district."]
Does that mean that CECs have no “authority”? To the extent that we lack “final authority”, perhaps so – but to deny that CECs have a major “say” in that process, flies in the face of the statute which was recently amended to explicitly enhance the “authority” of our input into charter school siting. “[B]rush up on NYS Education Law and the NYC School Governance Law” [sic] indeed.

Finally, I think the following comment needs to be addressed:
  ”It was clearly obvious that the teachers of PS15 only care about themselves. Every teacher that spoke last night was white, did not live in the community and at the end of the night got into their cars and left. Every PAVE parent and PS15 parent that spoke was black.”
Ms. Davids, a resident of the Bronx, presumes to lecture the participants at the meeting about “outsiders”. As it happens, she literally has no way of knowing who resides nearby or not. For example, I live about a half-mile away from the meeting location and traveled to and from there on my bicycle (I don’t even own a car).
Furthermore, she is wrong about the breakdown of folks who spoke at the meeting. In particular, she erroneously assumes that all the “white” speakers from PS 15 were teachers. Had she bothered to look more closely, she might have noticed that many of those individuals brought their children to the microphone with them and one of those parents, to my own serious annoyance, insisted on having his child read a speech even though he had not been called upon.
More importantly, had she even tried to listen to the teachers at PS 15 who did speak, she would have heard their eloquent and heartfelt pleas on behalf of their students. Their salaries and benefits won’t suffer if PAVE’s increasing incursion results in increased class size or the provision of needed services in virtual closets. It’s their students who will suffer the greatest consequences. Just as in all other successful schools, it’s the teachers who are among PS 15′s greatest assets. The school’s progress, achievements and obvious popularity among the parents (who clearly made up a majority of those in attendance) is an obvious testament to their competence, hard work and sincerity.
Still further, as I think virtually everyone knowledgeable about the situation would concede, a large majority of the children attending PAVE do not reside in the PS 15 “zone”. In fact, many parents who were frustrated by not being allowed to enroll their children at PS 15 saw PAVE (rightly or wrongly) as “the next best thing”. Yet, no one seems to have mentioned (or even apparently, noticed) that the DOE has taken substantial steps to alter the structure and leadership of the nearby school. I, for one, sincerely wish the new Principal there the best of all possible luck in turning the Red Hook Community School into an institution that many Red Hook parents will be vying to have their children attend.
Ultimately then, throughout Ms. Davids’ screed is the unmistakable aroma of outright race baiting. This is especially noxious given that on the photograph of her own website home page, no black children or adults appear. In both Red Hook and District 15 we define “community” in far more inclusive terms. Perhaps Ms. Davids might learn some thing from us.
Michael M.

Well said, Jim!

Gideon,
Point well taken re space sprawl… in those rare buildings lucky enough that there is such opportunity. Back to “failing” schools. PS15 clearly is not; it has gotten straight A’s on the School Progress Reports since their inception (much as I have mocked them).

Dee,
Of course your son has a “right” to be in a New York City Public School, though not any one in particular. And DOE has an obligation to make the choice and/or assignment process fair. In district after district, catchment zone after catchment zone, this has not always been the case. It gets tricky in catchment zones that now have more tushies than seats, so to speak.

May all (y)our kids be in classes of less than 25. Cheers.
PaveScholar

There are many schools in which 2 schools coexist. As was mentioned repeatedly, the school is underutilized and would it have been more easier for the teachers to deal with if a junior high school was allowed in the building. As the school building inspector said at the meeting last night, the school was assessed and it showed that there was enough space to allow a school in. That being the case what is the big deal about letting Pave an “alternative” to regular public school in the building. They provided a great opportunity for the children of the community to read. This is their main focus. The kids are learning great things and I hope that PS 15 leadership and those oppose will put their differences aside and see that both them and Pave can co-exist until the new school is built.
Julie

Thank you Mr. Devor for you clear, true, and thoughtful words. I am a teacher at PS 15 who sat along side of the parents I work with, plan with, have fun with, and whose children I love as if they were my own, last night. Ms. Davids claims and statements, made last night and on this site, are insulting and blatantly racist, I’m sorry but it is true. I hope she will apologize and retract her false statements. I want to make it clear that PS 15′s teachers and families, to my knowledge, do not hold any ill will toward PAVE families or teachers and simply want what is best for their children and the programming they seek and provide for their children. We want Spencer Robertson and the DOE to keep their agreement, to keep their word, to keep their promise. I also want to note, that I am also very disturbed about some things PAVE parents have expressed, who told them- I am not sure, that PS 15 teachers are telling their students to target PAVE children and bully them, that we said their teachers are unqualified, and that we said they are not part of the Red Hook Community. I can assure you that ALL of these statements are false and if anyone says otherwise they are lying and trying to use propaganda to scare you. I would assume that Spencer Robertson, nor any of his staff, would never have stated these lies, and I am sure they will correct the record with their families. I have been a part of the Red Hook Community for over eight years. It is a privilege working with and serving parents and students in the community. I admire their will to stand up to Robertson and the DOE and demand a promise be honored, and I stand with them. My only goal is to do what is best for them. If I was as self-serving at Ms. Davids suggests, I wouldn’t have eaten my dinner, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, at midnight last night.
Julie

I just have to add to “PAVE Scholar’s” message: just because the DOE formula, which is faulty, says PS 15 is underutilized, that doesn’t make it so. What should we give up? Come in and tell our parents and children what specifically they should do without so that Robertson can break his agreement.
http://www.capeducation.blogspot.com ConcernedAdvocate

Ms. David, you may be one of the most cynical people I have ever met in my life. You are quite simply a liar. Lie #1: 3 PAVE staff people spoke, not one. Lie #2 5 PS 15 teachers spoke (I love how you assume that because people were white they weren’t PS 15 parents, racist much?). Lie #3: Where do you live? Lie #4: you stated teachers only care about themselves and that they have no right to talk about what is going in the community– Red Hook is their community, they spend more time there than they do in the communities where their homes are and again, you are not from there but you are speaking, you have no connection to those kids, except that you are a charter proponent and have a blind allegiance to the movement. The teachers at PS 15 are beyond dedicated and LOVE their students, their children. They fight to protect them, to preserve their right to an equitable and truly public education. They will have their jobs and pensions regardless of the housing of PAVE; their only interest is the children. Those teachers, who you demonized, were at school that morning well before 8, most stayed straight through until the end of the meeting at nine. If that is not selfless dedication, I do not know what is. I think you are frightened and intimidated by our teachers because they are so committed and so organized and they see clearly through your, Robertson, and the charter school movement’s agenda and can articulate it in an intelligent and compassionate way unlike yourself who just got up there an hoot and hollered and played the race card. This deintellectualizes your argument (what that is exactly I don’t know) and offends not just the teachers, and not like you care, but the parents in OUR community. Lie #5, PS 15 teachers did not talk about how PAVE inconvenienced them, they talked about how PAVE forced their students out of their rooms, have to be serviced in closets or shared rooms, have anxiety about what is going on, and about how specifically, the children’s’ programming is being negatively affected. Lie #6 Robertson wasn’t “allowed to speak” (which of course he actually was) because he did not request to be on the agenda. PS 15 parents and teachers had a slot on the agenda where a prepared statement was read by a teacher yes, but the content was developed together, because they worked all summer to get that slot and pressure CEC and other policymakers to hear their voices and concerns. Lie #6 you said that all of the PAVE parents in attendance attended PS 15 as children. Are you kidding me? Do you even believe yourself? Like I said, cynical. Bus loads of children arrive at PS 15′s back door and enter PAVE Academy from other areas, not only outside of 15′s zone, but also outside of Red Hook. Lie #7 you said PAVE is closing the racial achievement gap… funny you should mention this, PS 15, the school that actually has accountability and transparency, has not only some of the highest test scores, but has been recognized and given awards for closing the achievement gap. Where is the EVIDENCE that PAVE is doing this… right it doesn’t exist. Lie #8, technically this is not a lie, but if we really wanted to speak the truth we would all acknowledge it is a lie: PAVE academy is not a true public school. They get all of the benefits of being public, and all of the benefits of being private. That is a true statement.

I could keep going, but it really is a waste of my time because you, Ms. David, only want to hear yourself. I will end by saying, for others who are reading, the issue at PS 15 is a huge one, at it is not just happening there. Community schools across the city are being squeezed by charters and their resources, their programming, their children, are being negatively affected. Join the parents and teachers of Red Hook and demand transparency, accountability, and due process. Help us hold PAVE to their word and in so doing take a stand in protecting and preserving public schools across the city. PS 15 is an AAA school, if this can happen to us, it can happen anywhere.
By the way Ms. David, how did you get home last night? The Bronx is a long way… car? Train? Do tell.
Dee

Much appreciated to Jim and the comments that followed. You have successfully proven the point that this is more about your political agenda than the children and community of Red Hook! I appreciated Mona’s support and presence on PAVE’s behalf and I AM WHITE. This whole discussion of “squeezing” is really quite sad. WE LIVE IN NEW YORK…we squeeze into buildings, apartments and subways. Despite the obvious economic troubles that WE as a nation are facing, why is sharing and making room for our community such an inconvenience? I thought Jim seemed mostly impartial, until now I realize he had to go home and brush up on his facts before he could clearly take the very PARTIAL side of being scorn and obviously cut by Mona David’s comments. I found the teachers of PS 15 VERY VERY poorly spoken, rehearsed and lack severe passion. At least none of the PAVE speakers came up with a written diary/diarrhea of boo hoos.
http://www.capeducation.blogspot.com ConcernedAdvocate

Really Dee? The only person with a political agenda that spoke last night was Ms. Davids. Its a shame you appreciate her support and presence considering she was inaccurate, misleading, and divisive. Why the PAVE camp is insisting on attacking our teachers, I am not sure, I guess it’s the easiest and cheapest thing to do. Our children shouldn’t have to squeeze. You are missing the point: why should one group of children have to suffer and have their resources taken away for the sake of another? An agreement was made, I know Mr. Robertson likes to think the rules don’t apply to him, but they do, and he should be held accountable.
Dee

Yes, really. Why do you disguise yourself as a “concerned citizen” and tell us who you really are? Why should ANY children suffer? I AM A PARENT IN RED HOOK. WHO ARE YOU?
Janina Pedroza

Last night when a PS15 teacher had a 2 page speech and spoke for 10 min and Mr. Jim Devor did not tell her that she had 2 min to speak that right there showed whose side he was on! Another issue was when another PS 15 Teacher let his own son come up and let him make a comment stating “We Don’t Want the Charter school here!” What a disgrace to him and to to his own child. So what is that teacher teaching Our Community Children? He should be ashamed of himself and to the BOE!! Talk about space when Our Pave children don’t have any access to gym and Lunch they have to eat within 15 to 20 min and are rushed out due to PS 15 children coming in to eat their Lunch! Recess is another issue 15 min also. Our children have Math, Reading, Science, Social Studies, and Library in their class so what space could they possibly be taking up. Mr. Spencer was not on the agenda due to PS 15 not putting him on it because it was about them and not Pave. I Also wanted to comment on Ms. Mona for being there and standing up for our children and parent’s!! It was a pleasure and she is a Phenomenal Women!! Mr. Jim Devor was very unproffessional and disrespectful when he lashed out at Ms. Mona Davis and a spokes person from DOE. He only gave Mr. Spencer 2min maybe 3 to speak just because he was not on the Agenda. Once again we have rights because it’s our children and a School that Belongs To The CITY Not PS 15 Staff Nor Pave’s So just be patient and sit back and relax until you get the news After 120 days that Mr. Spencer has left.
Debbie Diaz

ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY THE CHANCELLOR HAS THE LAST WORD…IF HE DECIDES PAVE SHOULD STAY THEY STAY…NEITHER PARENTS OR TEACHERS OWN THIS SCHOOL AND IT’S ABOUT THE CHILDREN GETTING THEIR EDUCATION WHETHER IT BE A CHARTER SCHOOL OR PUBLIC SCHOOL….EVERYONE TRY AND COME TO SOME CONCLUSION AND WORK WITH EACH OTHER NOT AGAINST ONE ANOTHER…
Suffering Teachers

To Moaning Mona Davids charter school parent representative who screamed about who spoke at the meeting, there were plenty of PS 15 Patrick F. Daly School parents ready to speak. The CEC committee picked the order of speakers. Your point is moot.
To Moaning Mona Davids charter school parent representative, you screamed the building belonging to NYC. Yes, it does and the zoned people of PS 15 Patrick F. Daly School are NYC.
And to all at the meeting, when Moaning Mona Davids charter school parent representative screamed, “Pave Academy is a Public School.” Did you not see it with your own eyes? EVERYONE SAW IT! What TRUE and REAL Public School Principal has the money to buy top quality t-shirts and hand them out like candy with a big smile to the crowd at hand? Where did the money come from for that? Can the D15 Superintendent show us what line PAVE used in the funding formula she explained that took money away from the children to buy top quality t-shirts and hand them out like candy to anyone who would wear them? That is a real abuse of the system and should be investigated. Yes, Moaning Mona, that is something a Private school would do…not a poor Public School. It seems charter schools so far do not post their budgets…not PAVE. Public schools do post their budgets on line…. and in no instance do you see a place for t-shirts that seem to never end…how many did they buy? That is money away from the children. Can the mayor give us money to buy t-shirts? We at PS 15 Patrick F. Daly School buy our own t-shirts.
And to Moaning Mona Davids charter school parent representative who screamed, where do you come from? Do you live or work in Red Hook day in and day out? You know nothing about Red Hook. Teachers may not be from the neighborhood but most are very close and from NYC and there everyday. We have given ourselves to the neighborhood and Mr. Daly gave his life for this school. Moaning Mona, you are the disgrace. Why would you come into a community, scream at it and leave? I guess you go all around the city, scream at communities and leave like you did with a smirk on your face. How much does Bloomberg pay you to scream at community meetings? Bet you get a pretty penny and when it comes to charters too … I would not be surprised some under the table deals must come your way to…shhhh.
And to the Dept. of Education people who were there…all you spoke about were formulas not at all about PEOPLE. Just numbers…sizes of rooms, how many can be crammed into a space, the square footage of a half size room and full size room, and the number of bodies that could be squeezed in, etc. I am convinced; everyone at the Dept of Ed lives in a studio apartment because that is all you really need to live a quality life? According to the Dept of Ed., the entire city should be converted into studio apartments because according to the magic formula, why should you have space for quality? At PS 15 Patrick F. Daly School, we had some rooms to have science lab, special provider, and art space. That is a bad thing. When will the Dept. of Ed stop and think about human beings? The business man mayor and the lawyer chancellor titles say it all. What a mess of Education! You would think they would know working along with people, not bullying them, is a better tactic?! The ordering of supplies, the part of the business of schools, is all they should be concerned about. Leave the rest to educators who know communities are more important than anything… more important than your magic formulas that do not work. The mayor and chancellor seem very good at tearing apart the basic core part of a school…the community. What a shame! It is a sad day for Red Hook, Harlem and so many other places in the city. God help us all remove this bully mayor and chancellor and every one at the Dept. of Ed who tear apart public school communities. Shame on mayoral control…you should be bringing people together…not dividing them. New Yorkers usually stick together. Thank you for tearing them apart. Thank you to the politicians who voted for this mess and dividing communities. There are better ways to bring charters into the equation but why do it that way? Oh, because that would make sense and why would the mayor and chancellor want to make sense? All they get a kick out of is POWER and ATTTENTION. Oh, it must feel real good to them. Pave and PS 15 Patrick F. Daly School are both suffering; the Red Hook community is suffering. Why would the mayor and chancellor do that to people?
To the charter school parents, PS 15 Patrick F. Daly School would love to have their rooms painted and cleaned and supplied with everything brand new and be attractive to you but the mayor and the chancellor will not allow that to happen. They want their private charter schools to shine like new pennies. PS 15 Patrick F. Daly School wants the best for its children too but as a Public School, not a private charter school, we are underfunded as always. The PS 15 Patrick F. Daly School has worked so hard to become the AAA school it is, the teachers love the children, the school and the neighborhood. Moaning Mona would not know that about the staff at PS 15 Patrick F. Daly School.
PS 27 is opening up a charter school, it is the right time, the right space, the right place because it will most likely happen without any division or fighting which will continue to happen at PS 15, the Patrick F. Daly School until the cancerous PAVE charter school leaves. NO ONE believes Pave has a space. Everything surrounding PAVE has been based on lies to the PS 15 Patrick F. Daly School community. All back room deals with PS 15 Patrick F. Daly School being the last to know anything. PAVE even silence the PS 15 Patrick F. Daly School after school program….daddy funds it you know and when asked their opinion they all say, “Can’t talk about it, no comment.”
That is quality and equity of education in NYC 2009 under Mayor Mike Doomberg.

PS Oh Moaning Mona, hell yeah PS 15 teachers care about our kids and Red Hook! We always have. That is why we got up and spoke. We are fighting mad for our school. We have worked harder than you know. And Moaning Mona, about leaving at night, yeah we did that but we were back at 7 AM and will be until the end of the school year. Where will you be? Oh, out at other schools sticking your foot in your mouth.
Pogue

Now, THAT, is what I call a “let’s shed some light on the truth” comment. Well, done Suffering, we suffer with you under this mayor, and are hopeful more people open their eyes for the coming election.
Annoyed Onlooker

I’ve been informed of the controversy of PAVE academy in PS 15. Mona Davids, I just felt compelled to write on this post after reading what you wrote… The first point I wanted to make is the statement that one of the main reasons that charter schools are lower the achievement gap is because they are not required to keep children who are behavior issues or do not meet their expectations (what about kids with special needs, and significant learning disabilities? Are those kids accounted for at those schools?). Instead, they end up asking these children to leave and then sending them back to the public schools that they belong to before. This means that the public school teachers work even harder to get these children where they should be academically, but most importantly behaviorally and emotionally! We have to remember that it is not just a teachers goal to increase test scores… there is a much greater task in education besides that. But somehow test scores is what is deemed most important now a days. Also, I’m not sure what point was trying to be made about the number of teachers who stood up for PS 15 vs the number of teachers that stood up for PAVE. It is extremely possible that there were more teachers from PS 15 because they care, and took their time to organize themselves, and dedicate their time and efforts, not to mention that given that the teachers of PAVE have no union, they are not going to get up and speak against the school because they will get fired (which in many cases might be why they didn’t stand and speak for the school). (I’m not saying that the teachers at PAVE dont care, because lets face it, you dont become a teacher without caring for children and wanting to make a difference. It just shows how passionate the teachers of PS 15 are to go). Also, if you look at the number of staff that were hired for PAVE, and then mysteriously fired or released just last year alone, you would be suspicious. hmmm….. Also, what was the point in saying that all of the teachers from PS 15 are white? I’m confused…. Spencer and his administrative staff are all/mostly white males who come from high SES. How do they know about the troubles that occur in lower SES neighborhoods? Are they buisnessmen looking for some sort of venture to make themselves feel important in the world? I’m not sure. Also, I didn’t realize that Spencer and his staff live in the neighborhood either… ? Yet another hmmm. I’m not saying that all charter schools are bad. I’m just trying to make the point that the goal for educating is to enrich the lives of children in a complete manner. Educational leaders seem to forget this, and the voices of those fighting for this get lost. There must be a solution to this problem, and the current educational problems in general. What that is, I’m not sure… but why is it that a charter school feels the need to move into an already well established, and well functioning school (look at the test scores-if that’s what’s important to you)? Just food for thought.
http://www.capeducation.blogspot.com ConcernedAdvocate

Dee: “concerned advocate” is not a disguise… this screen name and the attached website are representative of a group of parent and teachers working together in a grassroots movement. Our parents and teachers understand we are united together, we also understand that the DOE has people reading all of these sites and we do not want to provide them with names so that they can target any of our community members in any way.

Janina: I am sorry, but all of your facts are wrong. I think you and Dee are getting defensive about something that does not exist and it is causing you to say things that are inaccurate and causing you to stand up for people and to attack people that you otherwise wouldn’t. Robertson was not on the agenda because he did not contact the CEC. The PS 15 teacher who read the statement on behalf of parents and teachers was on the agenda because a group of parents and teachers worked all summer to make that happen. She got more that two-three min. b/c it was an agenda spot, not a speaking slot. PS 15 had nothing to do with making the agenda, we fought for a spot on it because we care about our kids and made the effort and understand the concept of rules. Devor was very kind in letting Robertson speak at all after he tried to make a spectacle of the CEC meeting and break the rules w/ his crony from the DOE giving her spot to him. The white man who spoke that brought his son up is NOT a teacher, he is a parent, that son is a student at PS 15… ask yourself why you are just assuming he was a teacher. What you said about lunch and gym is a lie, period. And all the subjects you mentioned PAVE has in the class, so do our kids. Mr. Devor was not disrespectful, there are things called rules, Robertson thinks the rules don’t apply to him, but they do. The building in literal, legal terms, does belong to the city because we have mayoral control and Klein has deemed himself the landlord of school buildings, but last time I checked we live in a democracy and regardless of mayroal control, the mayor and chancellor work for US. Our community has every right, and every moral imperative, to stand up and shine a light on what we see as bad for our kids, and frankly it is bad for PAVE kids too. The idea of shared space based on a faulty formula is a scam and a sham, it is a way for FOR PROFIT schools to save a few bucks on the front end, while getting their business started. We all deserve our own space, Robertson was incompetent in how he handled this whole thing, and PAVE parents should be just as outraged and demanding answers from him. PAVE students don’t have the space they deserve, PS 15 students don’t have the space they deserve. The difference is, it is the PS 15 building and those students were already there and they should not lose their resources because Robertson has poor planning and management skills.
Finally, we encourage any PAVE families who stated Thursday night that they actually wanted and want their kids in PS 15 to call the Office of Enrollement and go through the process, call the school if you don’t know what to do, they would be happy to help you. PS 15 welcomes all children, they are just governed by regulations and laws, because they are actually a public school, so they can’t just accept and discharge students at will.
Michael M.

Michael Vick served hard time for running a dog-fighting ring.

Chancellor Klein is ultimately responsible for “pitting” this community against itself.

I encourage ALL on both sides of this debate to question and challenge how we all got here as much as where we’re going next.

This situation is hardly unique. It has been and will be repeated multiple times until something changes — or some ONE gets changed.

I’ll start with one immediate proposal: No more school sharing. Period. And we can start with charter / non-charter school sharing. Time to demand a commitment from Charter-Chancellor Klein before the election that these arrangements will be unwound within two years.
http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/ norm

It is pretty interesting that Mona Davids came down to Red Hook from her perch in Co-op city in the Bronx where she lives and helped divide the PS 160X community to lecture the teachers of PS 15 that they were not of the community. Mona’s mantra has been (at the PEP Monday night) and will be to make sure in every single speech she makes to trash public school teachers which is part of the missive she has been given in her assignment.

Mona will be working out of her office at 155 Water Street. Take a look at the cute little web site the NYC Charter School Parents Association has. Mona always declares how charter school parents are public school parents. If they are so public Mona, reveal who is funding the organization. Are the board meetings public? Are charter school board meetings public? The only thing public about them is that they get to use public tax money.
Julie

Hello Dee and Janina, I am a teacher at PS 15 and I wanted to respond to your comments by saying that you should contact our PTA, we should all speak together and listen to each other… we are not out to get anyone, we love and respect all children, and I think there is a big misunderstanding as to what our position is. It is hurtful that teachers are being attacked; I mentioned before, I have been a part of the Red Hook Community for over eight years and I spend more time there than I do in Sunset Park, where my apt. is. I along with my fellow teachers are totally committed to our kids, who are our primary interest, and I think we do a really good job, at least we try our hardest, at working with our parents as partners. This issue should not divide us, no one wishes ill will toward any child. We, and I think I speak for parents and teachers here, just want an agreement honored and we want to preserve our resources and ability to provide the best programming possible to our students. Please consider reaching out to the PTA, parents and teachers should be working together (and at PS 15, we do), and we should also be working to make sure all of the information out there is accurate and coming from sources that have the shared interest of our students at heart.
Caroline

Reading this with interest from afar, and of course I don’t know the issues close up.

Mona says her child went to PAVE as a fallback second choice because there was no room in PS15, and then Gideon says PS15′s facility was underutilized. So wouldn’t it have made more sense to expand PS15 to accommodate the students who couldn’t get in, if there was room for expansion in the building anyway? Is there some explanation I’m not getting?
http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/leadership/PEP/default.htm Patrick J. Sullivan

A couple of points to add to Jim Devor’s explanation of the school siting process:

The City Charter vests the care and control of school buildings to the city board of education. The city board, which the mayor calls “Panel for Educational Policy”, was explicitly given authority to approve changes in school utilization and co-locations by the State Legislature as part of the new process Jim describes above.

As a member of the Panel, I will tell you my votes on locating charters in BOE facilities will be informed by the record of charters individually and collectively in adhering to the agreements and commitments they make when they occupy BOE space. If people like Robertson take space and then ignore their obligations, they will make it harder for other charters to get the type of opportunity they exploited.
http://www.capeducation.blogspot.com Concerned Advocate

Caroline, thank you for your interest.

Mona is not a parent of a child at PAVE and she is a resident of the Bronx, maybe you were refering to Dee’s comment. To answer your question to the best of our ability: there are many PAVE families who actually wanted PS 15 as their first choice, but PS 15 is a zoned school and has no authority to take children out of its zone. The Office of Enrollement is charged with accepting or rejecting parents’ requests (as we understand it) to send their child to a public school outside of their zone. PS 15 welcomes all children and when a parent from out of zone calls, they are refered to contact the Office of Enrollement (as we understand it). In terms of PS 15 being underutilized, this is according to a DOE formula that many feel does not adequately account for needed space within school buildings. Gideon minimizes what PS 15 teachers talk about when they discuss space by refering to a room he used as a museum… we do not have empty rooms used for luxuries, we actually have people sharing rooms and service providers working out of the library and the afterschool program’s computer lab (among other space issues). Yet, according to what was stated Thursday night, we are at 73% capacity according to the DOE formula. We need five prep teachers/rooms to run our program (so that every child has one prep per day), but the formula only ‘entitles us’ to two. Something is flawed, and we do not believe it is the perception of parents and teachers who want the programming for their children protected. Finally, one would think it would make sense to give PS 15 every opportunity to expand and grow, especially since it is an AAA school successfully serving the Red Hook community for years; you’d have to ask the DOE about that portion of the decision making.
Suffering Teachers

Teachers for Thompson! …. SPREAD THE WORD END Bloomberg’s Bureaucracy Now!

What is sad… I have always enjoyed and have been very proud and honored to be a teacher. That has not changed but under Bloomberg and Klein I am embarrassed. I was born in Brooklyn, yes, very close to Red Hook, in the same hospital as many of the parents and kids. I hate being a NY’er with Bloomberg, Klein and the city council that supports this mess of Education. No other mayor has caused the damage this administration has caused. Bloomberg’s bureaucracy needs to END!

Oh no, Bloomberg’s middle class ad is on TV. He says he loves this city? How can he say that if you read the above and see what he is doing to the people of the city? Shoving schools in schools, almost causing riots at PS 15 and at other schools. … Yeah, this is how you love NYC! That is a lie!

What a distraction and disservice to the children. I really want all my mind and energy focused on my job. Can’t do it…. not with this mayor, not with this chancellor, not with the PAVE charter school fiasco, not with imagining very few city council members really caring at all. This is what they allow? Shame on almost all of them.

UFT….HELLO OUT THERE!!!??? Where are you? Hello UFT … are you there? Calling the UFT .. ahhhh, now is the time to open your mouth. Ummm, your teachers are fighting and where are you? What are we paying for? Ummmm, UFT, calling on the UFT …. are you there? Has anyone seen the UFT? Are they on an extended vacation? Must be. That’s it …. I guess we’ll have to wait till they get back. They must be off to see Randi… yeah, that is it. It has got to be? I think. Ok. Let’s try it one more time….. (clearing throat) … a-hem … UFT, oh UFT, where for art thou? Maybe, just maybe, the UFT likes western movies … you know, the hero that shows up just in time. That could be it too. They want to ride in just when they know they can win … that could be it too! Do you think they will write here? At least? …. well, naaaa, their computers must be down… they can’t even do that. Won’t take a stand. can any one else figure out why the UFT is not fighting with its teachers? What the h… are we paying for?

Let’s get rid of Bloomberg, Klein and the Dept of Ed!

TEACHERS FOR THOMPSON! SPREAD THE WORD END Bloomberg’s Bureaucracy Now! … and get back to building up communities and teaching the children of my great city.
http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/ norm

See Mona Davids and Spencer Robertson in action with video of the Sept. 17 event at

Video of PS 15/PAVE Charter Confrontation at CEC Meeting

http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2009/09/pave-founder-and-director-spencer.html
http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/ norm

The other link to Davids is:
http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2009/09/video-of-ps-15pave-charter.html
m

firstly, I have just read through all the postings on this blog and it makes me very very sad. We are being pitted against one another and instead of uniting and fighting the powers that be, we are fighting each other.

please let it be very clear, there was no “funny business” at the CEC meeting on Thursday. The teacher from PS 15 was allowed to read a statement that was written by the teachers and the parents over the summer. We met and worked on that speech all summer long because we knew this meeting was coming up (it was posted on the DOE website). PS 15 was added to the agenda over the summer and there are emails that prove it.
Spencer was not allowed to speak when he wanted to to because he was not on the agenda and made no attempt to be placed on the agenda (as far as i know). The woman who was on the agenda was who was slated to speak, she is not permitted to use her time slot to introduce someone else. these are the rules, clear and simple.
the reason that Spencer was not given more time was because he was speaking at the end, the Q&A portion of the evening. This afforded him only 2-3 minutes to speak. again, these are the CEC rules and regulations.
as to the issue of the parents speaking at the end of the evening…again there was no funny business here either. at ALL CEC meetings there are sign up sheets placed at the door when you enter the building and anyone is allowed to sign up to ask a question or make a statement. Perhaps the PS 15 teachers and parents took advantage of this opportunity better than the PAVE staff and parents? This is no one’s fault and you certainly cannot deem anyone “unfair” just because more PAve-ers did not sign up at the beginning of the meeting.

It is my truest and most sincere hope that the families and community members of red hook can overcome this divide. each side hopefully understanding that we are looking our for what we truly believe is in the best interests of the children of red hook.
http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/ norm

The latest video referenced in above comment is at:
http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2009/09/ps-15-makes-their-case.html
pat

I was very upset at the harshness with which mona spoke at thursday’s meeting, particularly when she stated that i was not a member of the red hook community just because i did not live in red hook.I live in staten island, and i pay a hefty toll ,ad sit in alot of traffic every day so that i can work in red hook. I have been at teacher at ps 15 for 9 years and i truly consider myself to be part of the community. i pour my blood, sweat, and tears (literally!) into my class everyday. if i didnt care so much about those children then i wouldnt really care about their education. i believe that it is my duty to create strong minded productive and creative citizens of this world. i sacrifice my own money and time, time that could be spent at home with my family, to ensure that i make my students’ futures as bright as possible. when i see past parents and students they greet me as if i am a member of the red hook community, with smiles, waves, laughs, hugs, and hand shakes. the tell me i would be so proud because of how well they are doing and they catch me up on all the goings on in their lives. i would not trade this in for anything. that, ms davids, is the true definition of community. not the narrow idea that you have, where your community is wherever i drive my car at the end of the day. i am so sorry for you that you lack that true sense of belonging and understanding. and if you dont believe what you spew an the other posts are true, that you just receive a paycheck to divide and conquer, well then i am even more sad for you. that you would compromise your ideals, and your honor to propagate a misconception. what does that teach the children in your community?
AROD

Underutilized. What an interesting word. So rooms that are supposed to be used for professional activites, art rooms etc are not worthy of existence and are unnecessary? The presence of multiple schools in a building is a sham. When is the public at large going to realize that there is no racial gap being closed? When will the public at large realize that kids in these neighborhood schools are being denied a full education because of this small school and charter school movement. Stop drinking the Kool Aid. In the 60s and 70s you could take mulitple languages, and learn to play an instrument properly, be properly instructed in physical education, take home economics and more in a High School, in a regular public high school. The so called reforms initiated by BloomKlein have resulted in the gutting of many programs and this colocation stuff is obviously on purpose. Its time to go back to the one building one school traditional model. No more BS wallpapering with Jargon. Multiple schools within a building causes more space issues and destroys elective courses , music, art, drama, media studies etc. Stop lying.
Jenny

Givin fact is that Public Charter Schools are taking over and we have to accept it! It’s time for a change Like the President Obama Said! And if the charter school was not in PS15 then it would of been a JR HS and that would have been worse for the young ones in that are in the school now! So let’s just be paitent and see what happens when Mr. Robertson does leave PS 15 and will see who’s next in steppin in? Then What?
Michael M.

This string gets more heartbreaking by the day.

AROD,
The Kool-Aid flavor is approaching Guyana Grape.

Jenny,
I agree that mixing elementary schools and middle schools in the same school building is NOT a good thing.

But it seems from following this blog — this string even — and listening to parents… that mixing charter and non-charter of similar grades causes way more friction (at least between parents, and I hope not the kids) than mixing elementary and middle schools that are both non-charter.

My hope for all concerned is that when PAVE moves out, ALL parties will breath a sigh of relief, and both sets of kids will excel.
http://www.capeducation.blogspot.com Concerned Advocate

We have been patient Jenny… an agreement was made and it should be honored. I also think you miss the point concerning underutilization… how about NOTHING else gets put in PS 15!? How about our parents and teachers utilize fully the building the way they were before PAVE was there and the way they will when PAVE leaves this June!? Furthermore, we will not accept the charter school agenda being shoved down our throats… this is a democracy last time I checked and we have the right and the will to fight to protect and preserve public education. I am hoping your comment about just accepting what Obama says was tongue -n- cheek, but I am afraid it wasn’t.
Parents and teachers would also like to add to this conversation that there are some very nasty and vicious rumors coming out of the PAVE camp, including today, where booming voices emanated from their main office, “PS 15 parents are just following the teachers. They need to get informed because all those teachers care about is losing their jobs. Those parents are just fools and idiots.” That’s really great… I am sure our kids love hearing someone talk about their mother or father that way. What is truly sickening though, is that PAVE admin. is going around stating that PS 15 staff is creating a negative culture. I can assure any reader here that the staff at PS 15 are the utmost professionals and would never do or say anything even remotely close to what came out of PAVE’s office today. It is such a shame that our community is being divided. It is a shame PAVE families don’t see the scam that is being run on them. A PAVE parent actually came and told us that they asked Robertson about the so-called building and he is back peddling already and talking about sewage problems. There is no building. They have no intention of leaving. They don’t even have enough students to fill their seats, which is why, as another parent told us just this morning, they are calling people’s homes to recruit and when this particular parent said she had a child in PS 15, they said, well take them out and put them in PAVE. It all is just sick. She told them to #@$! Off. These words and stories are from parents in our community. This has very little to do with teachers, except that they support our parents (and by the way, PAVE nor any charter puts them at risk of losing their jobs). Parents in Red Hook are not fools and idiots; if PAVE chooses to not only insult them, but underestimate them, they do it at their peril.
suffering teachers

Wow, to settle on what Obama is saying? Please, do not insult. He does not speak for the majority of the people. Did the colonist setting for what the King was saying? The fight at PS 15 will rage on until PAVE leaves!
And this is what Bloomberg/Klein wants? Now, let’s not call them dumb. They know what they are doing to people. The question is why would they do it to people? This is how they take care of people and abuse their power?
Why would they do this across the city to the children, to the parents, to the communities, to the staff of schools. They use bully tactics, because they set the whole system up like that. Shame on our other elected officials who gave up the citizens rights for a democracy.
It only takes a tiny, little bit of thinking to realize that SHOVING another school on another does not work! Not only does it not work it is criminal. The community building that needs to be an integral part of a school, it’s foundation gets threatened and hey, this is NY, I do not know a NY’er who would sit back and stand for it.
There will be a great rejoicing in Red Hook when PAVE Academy leaves the Patrick F Daly School – PS 15.
yomister

Always nice to a comment like the one above.

All over the city, teachers and principals have learned how to negotiate the use of a single building to accommodate the needs of multiple smaller schools. Having worked in such a building, we all managed to work out some very difficult situations with one another pertaining to the building’s utilization. Did the entire building counsel leave happy each week from our meeting? Absolutely not. But we understood that we were making decisions based on the needs of the students that learned within it.

The school was determined to be underutilized. It was. And during the transitioning first year, it was vexing not to have “our book room” and “our lab.” But it wasn’t “ours” to begin with. Five schools continue to thrive in a school that used to be described as hopeless. I’m not exaggerating; the schools inside are orderly, calm, and well managed schools.

We lost our staff room, we lost our art and music rooms, and we even lost our library. But once matters began to take shape, all of our schools managed to find ways to return these types of accommodations within each school. If you have a school that isn’t being utilized efficiently, and yes… economy has a lot to do with public education … either enroll a sufficient number of students or be willing to have students from another school utilize it.

The school is not “yours.” The school belongs to one entity… students. And I’m sure they’ll have some really nice memories at this particular school with all the venom, hate, and hostility all around them – from the people they should be modeling.

The only mistake made here was that they offered the school for a short, time-bound duration. They should have just allowed the additional school the ability to opt out.

I’m black. My community. Mine!
I teach here. I live in another community but consider this my community, too. Mine!
I hate charters. My taxes go to charters in this community over here that I don’t even live in. Mine!

Students. Going to schools. Learning. Learning to share. Watching adults act with kindness and compassion. Theirs.
Jenny

I Agree so much with the comment said above by Yomister That is well said and done! Unfortunately those that talk negativity and not being proffessional about it will have reprucussions to deal with. Parents & Staff need to be more involved in their children’s education than the gossip crap that is being said! So Sad and Done.
Paulette Collins

Two schools in one building does not work. I cannot imagine having two hospitals in one building. I am a nurse and this would pose so many problems. You cannot mix two different styles. I hope everyone can come to see this as it is very clear to me.
anonymous

bravo gotham schools.. the comment section has really arrived. this dialog was even better reading than the article itself… awesome.
Claire Glass

To teacher Julie, and anyone else who may be interested. I am a New York Univeristy Student writing a story about this controversy. I am interested in collecting as many views as possible in ordfer to paint an accurate informative story. If you are willing to share you opinions with me I would greatly appreciate it. My e-mail address is csg271@nyu.edu. Please contact me with any information you are will to discuss. Thank you all, and good luck.
Marge

Just to let everyone know, the NY Charter Parents Association website is registered to the NYC Charter School Center, which has Joel Klein, Michael Duffy and Geoffrey Canada on its board of directors, as well as a staff of 18 plus 2 consultants! (You can check whois.net to find out who any website is registered to.)
http://www.nycharterparents.org Mona Davids

Hey Marge,

You are a LIAR!! A BIG FAT LIAR!!!!

For the record, so that everyone knows the truth. I, Mona Davids, own the domains for both nycharterparents.org and nycharterparents.org

The NYC Charter School Center does NOT own those domain names. I bought them with my money. Also, when you go on WHOIS, all you see is “A happy dreamhost customer” owns those sites. That happy dreamhost customer is me!

The NY Charter Parents Association website was also created by me and is administered by me!

Last, but not least. I have not received one cent in funding from the DoE, the Charter Center or ANYONE else. You all need to get your facts straight.

I founded the NY Charter Parents Association in April. I am a charter parent with a child in the public school system. Charter Schools are Public Schools.

With ZERO funding, the NY Charter Parents Association has grown, we’ve had a few successes in our few months of existence. The most recent being the extension of PAVE Academy Charter School at the K015 building campus and the first success was the siting of EQUALITY Charter School at X160 Campus.

We have no staff, no consultants and no funding YET! We’re just getting started.

The NY Charter Parents Association is “For the Parents – By the Parents – Of the Parents”.

Our Children – Our Choice!

Mona Davids
President
NY Charter Parents Association
Michael M.

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.
http://www.nycharterparents.org Mona Davids

Hey Michael M,

Thank You for clearing that up and researching the facts. I registered nyccharterparents.org in April when I founded NY Charter Parents Association.

Both nyccharterparents.org and nycharterparents .org were bought by me.

There was no need for me to purchase a .COM (commercial domain) because we are a non-profit.

All non-profits are .ORG!

The Charter Center registered their domain on October 9, 2009. Their .COM is registered over 6 months LATER than our .ORG

I was not aware of this .COM registration because it has NOTHING to do with our Parent Association.

We represent Charter PARENTS and we are public school parents.

NY Charter Parents Association is an independent non profit, founded by a charter parent, funded solely by a charter parent AND REPRESENTS charter parents.

We have NO money but we do have charter parents that volunteer their time to help our association grow.

Best regards,
Mona

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