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I’m not a teacher, but I agree with Miss Eyre. I also know as a parent of a child in a Title I school, I don’t want our grade to go down to a B or below even though I wouldn’t have given the highest mark on all the questions, because most schools could use some improvement in some area. I admit, I just blindly fill in the farthest left bubble so our school isn’t in jeopardy. And then you have to think there’s some parents who are going to pull their kid out at the end of the year who will probably mark the bubbles to the far right. These surveys are problematic. I don’t know what the answer is. I suppose there could be some kind of focus group of parents, teachers and students of each school to get somewhat more accuracy, but that’s probably too expensive and unrealistic. And it wouldn’t solve the issue of anonymity for the teachers.

The fact remains, whether teachers and/or parents are honest or not, the survey results really make no difference. Principals who continually receive low marks are never disciplined. Numerous schools that received an “F” in environment still got overall “A’s” on their Report Cards, and their principals received only praise from the DOE leadership. School surveys are only an expensive farce that trick parents and teachers into thinking that they actually have a say in how a their school is run. All that principals are really held accountable for is test scores (which make up the other 90% of the school’s grade) and, as long as they don’t make the news for some other transgression, keep their jobs and can run their schools however they darn well please.

Noone has lied…. but there have been lies spreading. u can believe what u want, but PAVE is a GREATTT school and I know first hand! And I know it will stay, and when they do have their own building everyone will want their kids in. lol Regardless of the principal, the teachers are what make PAVE a GREAT place and that’s why they will stay!

In my school, the teachers coached themselves. My teacher coworkers have become familiar with the DoE’s purpose for these surveys. They know that the DoE only uses them as evidence against school communities. The DoE will do nothing to address any needs that are identified in these surveys. This is probably true in most schools by now, making these surveys worth less than the paper their written on.

Unfortunately, teachers will never be 100% truthful in these surveys for fear of administrative backlash – especially when the school administration (especially in small schools) can figure out who said which comments. This was already seen recently at PS 38 with their lunatic principal who made the front page of the Daily News. Unlike DoE schools, such witch hunts will go hidden in charter schools where there are no union protections… only an incestuous bed of relationships where everyone in the charter world are friends, spouses, or relatives serving on various charter school trustee boards or as principals waiting to black-list you at the word of another charter school leader.

The article states that “charter schools like East New York Preparatory, Bronx Charter School for Children, PAVE Academy, KIPP AMP Academy, and Harlem Day had over 50 percent of their teachers rate their principal negatively.” This may be the case, but teachers will still withhold the truths about what goes on in their school at the behest of their principal or other higher up administrators. Since many charter schools have “at-will” clauses in their slave-like contracts, teachers are deathly terrified of speaking up even if they know it’s the ethically/morally right thing to do. Do students and families really matter?

Looking at the above mentioned charter schools…. do their founders & administrators even abide by ethics and morals? One school is having its’ charter revoked & is under investigation for corruption and another school (which based on so many comments from this sites blogs) is trying to take over space in a successful public school building all while lying to its’ parents and the community.

The Learning Environment Survey and other such school surveys should be truly anonymous by having a 3rd party group conduct it. It should include EVERYONE on the school’s staff – not just teachers.

But like one other such blogger said – does the DoE or school administrators really care about honest, constructive feedback for true school improvement? Doubtfully not. The state of public education may be doomed!

I just want to correct the record regarding the PAVE parent’s comments above. Yes, there have been lies and omissions. The DOE and PAVE administration were legally required to inform parents about the new process per law as a result of the State Education Appeal. PAVE adminsitration and the DOE failed to keep their word in doing this and did not inform parents, particularly incoming parents, of the current issue regarding their space. Furthermore, I reviewed the survey results myself, and not only did teachers report less than 50% regarding their lack of trust of PAVE administration, among other less than stellar data, so did the parents! Anyone who wants to review this themselves, can find the report easily on the DOE website. Finally, I have spoken directly with several PAVE parents on many occassions, they have informed me that PAVE teachers participated in a silent strike against the PAVE administration and that they are unhappy with the lack of accountability and transparency. Futhermore, when a group of PAVE parents tried to challenge Mr. Robertson on this issue and asked him what the plan b was if PAVE is in fact required to leave PS 15, which ulitmately they will be because there have been several violations of the law regarding this issue, Mr. Robertson’s response to this parent was, ‘This is a done deal. We are not going anywhere. There is no plan be and if you don’t like it, take your child out of my school.’ Comments like these highlight what charter school parents are dealing w/ accross the city; a climate and culture of using and manipulating parents into supporting a movement and agenda they have been duped into supporting, thinking it is what is best for their child, when really they are just being used to propogate a privatization agenda and personal business venture. Could you ever imagine a public school principal saying this to parent!?!?! It is disgusting. It is an abuse of power. You will get no argument regarding the committed teachers at PAVE, but considering that more than 50% of them left last year, teachers who left directly encouraged some of their parents to remove their child from PAVE and they have even lost teachers midyear; I think it is safe to say that they do not want to be a part of this educational nightmare either. Charter proponents are all about numbers right? Well, in this case survey numbers and teacher attrition numbers speak volumes… if anyone would be actually willing to listen.

For concerned advocate, I was there the day ur talkin about, in which mr. Robertson told the parent to leave, Heres my thought……..things are said at the heat of the moment, im not defending mr. robertson because im not here for that im here for my CHILD, and thats the only reason i stand up for PAVE. its the best school ive found for my child in my neighborhood and im sticking by it. YOU people use crap likle this and try dig up dirt on people to prove a point but in all reality, none of u are there to see whats going on behind PAVE’s walls. and Yes its a new school which means there is room for improvement and im sure they mean well.

Mona Davids is a fake backstabbing discusting person who calls herself a woman! ha i laugh at her, she doesnt care about our children, she cares about her pockets gettin fatter and she LOVES to be in public yappin her big mouth with crap….i agree with the person who called her Moaning Mona last year. You wont go far Mona, fake discustiong ppl fall soon enough.

This PAVE battle is extremely interesting! My question to PAVE parents & other Red Hook community members is “Where is the accountabilty of this school & its’ leadership?” How are all of these things (yearly staff & student exodus; disrespect of parents; lack of community transparency, etc) being swept under the rug without someone stepping up & holding Spencer and his administration accountable?

I thought charter schools were “governed” by a Board of Trustees? But then again, the Board is hand-picked & chosen by the founder – which in this case is Spencer – which means these are his friends who basically allow him & his school leadership to do (and say) whatever they want: hire friends & family; fire staff without justification; coax & lie to parents to get them to enroll (or re-enroll) their children; lie to parents of children with Special Needs; the list goes on & on of the unethical, immoral, lack of character & integrity things that this charter school leader has done and probably continues to do!

I’ve been at EVERY one of these meetings & hearings and watched & listened. Who is really advocating for PAVE? What are the teachers, parents & leadership saying on the school’s behalf? What are opponents saying? What is there to gain… or lose? Gain: PAVE is getting LOTS of state funding for your Red Hook children; MORE for children with Special Needs and probably lining the pockets of the Board of Trustees, contracted business associates and school leadership.
Lose: Your children’s education… especially if they have special needs and are kept at PAVE for the extra $$$ – instead of “counseled/bullied out” like so many charter schools do.

Sure, there may be some children at PAVE (and other blood-sucking charter schools like it) who are doing well, maybe even better than they would have done at the local public school; but how many other children are probably “Being Left Behind” because they don’t fit the “charter school’s mold” or have disabilities that the school can’t address but the children are passed along, or have fudged grades to make it seem like the achievement gap is being closed?

This is truly a sad state when any school is allowed to do whatever it wants to its’ children, parents and staff without any checks, balances or recourse. Regardless of what Moaning Mona or other anti-charter people say, PAVE parents & all charter school parents better open their eyes and find out the REAL truth for themselves. Hold your school leadership accountable for everything… afterall YOU pay THEM with your child’s state funding!

PAVE getting a new building? They haven’t even signed a contract yet. I covertly sat in on one of their parent meetings and that bumbling idiot had the nerve to look parents in the face with his new fixed eye and pass around blue prints of “the new site” they have planned… Get it PAVE parents? Planned…. it will always be a plan. PAVE is never leaving PS 15. Our poor kids will have to share this space with you all forever because the Brooklyn officials are all paid off by Spencer’s rich father.

The previous person is absolutely right about the PAVE staff. They all know Spencer is a dim-wit puppet controlled by that racist partner of his who walks around with his fake dry smile. Everyone can see right through you Cooper! The staff, the kids, the parents. Everyone except Spencer and that new puppet principal that nobody likes. That’s because you are all working together to take over PS 15 and continue lying to the community and your own staff and PAVE parents.

It’s a sham & a shame. There probably are some good charter schools out there, but schools like PAVE give a bad name for EVERYONE else!

PAVE will get a new building when Pigs fly. N-E-V-E-R.

As a former PAVE parent I hope this rumor about another PAVE isn’t true. I was smart and took my child out of PAVE as soon as I saw the old principal, and office manager leave & other teachers not returning. Look at all the new people that are there now – what does that say about this school when so many different people are coming and going? I can’t believe the mayor would even consider allowing Spencer to open another school when this one is such a joke and science experiment at the expense of the Red Hook children.

Most of the teachers talk down to the kids and yell at them like they’re worthless. The new office manager is extremely ghetto, and unprofessional and speaks to kids and parents as if she’s in the street. How on earth anyone with common sense has her in a front office greeting people, let alone answering the phone is beyond me. The other guy in charge acts so prejudiced and has said things to parents and kids that are clearly racist and out of line but nothing was ever done because he’s still there doing the same things.

Has anyone even looked into why all the other staff members left? I know many of us are from Red Hook, but that doesn’t mean that we should be treated like dirt and spoken to any way the people at the school feel. I hope that people in other communities are paying attention because if PAVE comes to your neighborhood it will be the WORST thing for the community. Just look at all the lies Spencer has told and the problems it has caused Red Hook.

If you still have your kids at PAVE, then you better start going to the school more and asking your kids what’s really going on. These teachers and staff could be doing and saying anything to your child and you never know.

Wake up Red Hook! Just because a school has computers and smart boards doesn’t mean that it’s a good school and the people there are doing the right thing for your kids.