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turf wars
November 19, 2009
DOE switches course on process for PAVE extension request
Responding to protests that it was breaking the new mayoral control law, the Department of Education will hold a public hearing before extending PAVE Academy Charter School’s stay inside a district-owned building.
The law passed this summer requires the DOE to issue an “educational impact statement” and hold a public hearing on any proposed changes to the way school building space is used, and then to put changes to a vote before the city-wide Panel for Educational Policy.
Last month, DOE officials notified the principals of Red Hook’s PAVE Academy and P.S. 15 that the charter school would remain in the P.S. 15 building, even though PAVE originally agreed to leave the building at the end of this school year. At the time, DOE spokeswoman Ann Forte said that there was no need to follow the new rules since a hearing had been held before the charter school moved into the building two years ago.
But after protests from the district’s Community Education Council members, DOE officials said this week they will follow the new procedure after all.
CEC President James Devor drafted a resolution this week calling on the DOE to follow the new law in the case of P.S. 15. The resolution also states that if the DOE does not follow the new procedure in making space decisions regarding P.S. 15 and PAVE, the CEC would join any lawsuit designed to force the DOE to adhere to the law.
Yesterday the Office of Portfolio Planning’s Courtney McNally confirmed to Devor by email that the DOE would follow the new rules. In the email, McNally wrote that the DOE wants to put the P.S. 15/PAVE space sharing proposal before the PEP during its January 26, 2010 meeting and the DOE will need to post the educational impact statement by December 8.
(Devor said that he planned to put the resolution to a vote a tonight’s CEC meeting anyway to document the dispute. Update: The CEC passed the resolution unanimously, Devor said.)
The P.S. 15 building has emerged as one of the most contested fronts in the ongoing conflict about whether charter schools should be able to share district school buildings. When PAVE requested this summer to stay in the building past the two years in its original agreement, P.S. 15 parents were fearful that the charter’s expansion would increase their class sizes and take over their resource rooms.
In an email, and in the resolution being considered tonight, Devor emphasized that he and the CEC have not made a judgment about the space-sharing proposal and extension request on their merits. But the CEC has insisted that the DOE go through the reporting and hearing process required for major changes in space use before PAVE be allowed to stay.
A major question still unanswered for the schools is whether PAVE will be permitted to admit a new incoming class of students next year, thus using more space in the building. In June, a DOE spokeswoman said that it was too early to say whether the charter would be allowed to expand in the P.S. 15 building. The DOE has not responded to several queries as to whether officials plan to allow the school to grow if it stays in the P.S. 15 building.
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November 20th, 2009 6:10 am
It is very sad to see what mayoral control is doing to the school communities of New York City. The schools in NYC who have charter schools in them have seen all the rules change in favor of the charter school. The Public Schools under Mayor Bloomberg and Klein gets to flounder in and under the new rules and whatever the charter school wants it gets. There is no recourse for the public school, its teachers, its parents, and most importantly its children. The children of the public school get very little of the resources the charter school gets and to top it off they must look at it every day. How do you tell a child in a public school the reason why the charter school rooms have everything new and full of the latest technology, freshly painted and cleaned first, why their rooms do not look the same? The charter will tell you they are all the same children but why is there such a division of resources? All the equity money coming from NYS is being funneled to the charter schools. The elected officials gave the mayor control over the school system, are they checking on him at all? No! Then who is checking on what is going on with the public schools? It is terrible! Who is hearing the cry rise up out of the communities suffering with these charter schools? Very few elected officials are or even show they care about the people of their own city! What a shame.
The teachers union is doing nothing as well. Heck, they run their own charter schools? Talk about a conflict of interest. And the UFT lets the mayor fill up the charter schools with non union workers. WHY Mr. Bloomberg? You know there are many teachers who work very hard, they do not deserve a union who gives them a fair shake? We all know about the small amount of bad teachers. Yes, that needs to be addressed, but to go after their union and seek to break it? That’s Bloomberg and Klein. The teachers are NY’ers too. Born here and have families here and with the charter school movement, you will take that tiny bit of dignity away from them when the union falls…and that will happen eventually if the UFT does not get rid of its own charter schools and starts to be a real union and fights for its teachers. AND, the UFT supports the President who wants charter schools!? Go figure? In my friends union news paper there is not one article about the charter school struggle? Why? They seem to be turning its back on its own members? Where is justice for them? WHAT A MESS IN NYC!
Thank GOD for CEC 15. They seem to be the only ones who at least want to be fair to the people of their district and are willing to fight for them. They see the trash of these charter schools and the extreme lack of accountability with mayoral control. God Bless You CEC 15! -
November 20th, 2009 6:17 am
This is a victory for due process, for what we have been fighting for. Now we need to make sure the process is transparent… a hearing is one thing, being heard is another. What is at issue here is not charter schools (although many of us have opinions about them), what is at issue is a faulty DOE space sharing formula that is bad for kids and bad for schools— and not for nothing– both groups of kids and schools! The DOE formula does not take into account the space demands of our special education population and does not take into account a full prep schedule, as well as the space needed for the enrichment and intervention services that make PS 15 an AAA school. I should also mention we have a medical, dental, and social services program at our school as well that requires space. We all feel for PAVE parents who fear losing a place for their child’s school, but firstly, this is the fault of Robertson and his poor leadership, planning, and judgement and second of all, PS 15 students should not suffer for his incompetence. He has more than enough money to go and find himself a space somewhere else where he would not be negatively impacting the education of over 350 other students, whose parents choose PS 15. We should not be functioning in a system where we rob Paul to pay Peter. Support our fight in keeping PAVE to their two year agreement!www.capeducation.blogspot.com
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November 20th, 2009 10:02 am
A victory for democracy!!!!
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November 20th, 2009 4:42 pm
Thank you CEC15 for supporting the voice of the people. The teachers and parents of the children of PS 15 have only the interest of them at heart and want to protect and preserve the education they deserve. Hopefully this process will truly be a hearing and the members of the PEP will listen with an open mind and make a decision based on what is best for the children and democracy.
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November 21st, 2009 9:54 am
Yes, many thanks to the CEC15 for your honest support. Let’s take this victory as a call to action to preserve and protect our schools. Teachers…..please unite in this endeavor. Encourage the teachers in your schools to become part of the “support system” in favor of a democratic school system.
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