GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

Then-principal Eddie Calderon-Melendez speaks to parents and students at Believe Charter Schools' 2009 admission lottery. (GothamSchools, Flickr)

More than 200 students have applied to enter a charter school that could very well be closed next fall.

The director of development at Williamsburg Charter High School, Joseph Cardarelli, said today that the school had received 225 applications for ninth grade and 25 transfer applications. Applications continue to trickle in even though officials haven’t done much recruiting since January, when the city announced that it would close the school, he said.

The school had planned to hold its admissions lottery earlier this month, but the city rejected the school’s appeal to stay open a day earlier and the lottery was put on hold. The following week, State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman indicted the school’s founding CEO on tax fraud and larceny charges relating to the school’s management.

But a judge late Friday issued a temporary restraining order halting the closure. According to SchoolBook, the school’s lawyer is emphasizing that the state pinned improprieties on the former CEO, Eddie Calderon-Melendez, not the school. The school terminated its relationship with Calderon-Melendez under pressure this winter.

Now, the school has rescheduled its admissions lottery for April 30, a week before the school and city are due in court to argue about whether the school should be allowed to remain open. (more…)

Superintendent Seth Andrew answers questions after the lottery event at Democracy Prep Thursday evening.

What do you call a lottery when everyone wins?

An “Oprah moment,” according to operators of the Democracy Prep charter school network. They handed out 550 school seats like they were cars in one fell swoop Thursday night during the network’s annual admissions lottery.

Hundreds of students and their families packed into the basement gym of Democracy Prep High School, eager to find out whether they had won a spot at the middle and elementary schools to which they had applied. They knew that many people who apply to charter schools aren’t selected to attend — an experience that some of them had even had before — but they were hoping to get lucky.

The tension didn’t last long. As the room filled up, Democracy Prep Superintendent Seth Andrew announced that there would be no lottery: Every student who lived in District 4 and District 5 would be admitted.

“You get a seat and you get a seat and you get a seat!” Andrew said, pointing to applauding audience members while offering his best Oprah impression.

“That’s awesome,” said Harold Lilly, whose fifth grade daughter attended a private parochial school. He said when he first came in and saw the hundreds of people vying for spots, he doubted he’d win. “But this is a blessing.”

The surprising turn of events was unusual for charter school lotteries, where the emphasis is often on the large number of applicants and small number of seats. Some charter school networks, including the Success Charter Network, have even done away with public lotteries, citing the huge numbers of disappointed families that would attend them. (more…)

Success Charter Network 2009 lottery. (GothamSchools Flickr)

Excerpt from sneak peek of "Ultimate Spider-Man" #1, via Comic Book Resources.

According to a new comic book, one of the children who needed Superman to lift him out of subpar schools was a young Spider-Man.

In a new “Ultimate Spider-Man” series launching next month, the inheritor of the Spider-Man mantle is Miles Morales, a half-black, half-Hispanic Brooklyn-born teenager. A sneak peek shows a young boy accompanying his parents to what appears to be a charter school lottery, held in a cavernous space with video screens at one end and bleachers along the sides.

Down to the balloon arches flanking the seats, the arrangement closely resembles that of Success Charter Network’s 2009 lottery, held in the Harlem Armory in front of thousands of people. The carefully orchestrated event was depicted in the documentary “The Lottery” but was later dropped in favor of a lower-key drawing held out of the public eye.

The preview suggests but does not make clear that the young Spider-Man is selected for admission. The excerpt shows him sitting with his parents and looking worried, then zooms in on the number 42 after it is drawn in the lottery. The family members’ eyes widen, and then Spider-Man, with tears welling, gets a hug from his mother.