DOE Adding 18 Charter Schools for New Term; UFT Has Space Concerns
By DAVID SIMS
Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein Aug. 18 announced the opening of 18 new charter schools this fall, a record for the city which will bring the total number of charter schools in the city up to 78.

RANDI WEINGARTEN: A player and a critic.

United Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten struck a cautionary tone in her response to the announcement, voicing concern over many of the charters being housed inside existing public school buildings.

Outperforming Public Schools

The Mayor and Mr. Klein have trumpeted the success of charter schools in the city, emphasizing that 84.9 percent of charter school students met grade-level standards in math and 67.1 percent did so in English, with 74.3 percent and 57.6 percent, respectively, being the citywide averages in those subjects.

"Charter schools have a key role to play in our education system ... they deliver for our kids, bringing high standards and strict accountability to every school day," Mr. Bloomberg said during the press conference at the Bronx Community Charter School. He stressed the schools' strong statistics on paper, stating, "We see the results in their students' outstanding academic performance and huge parent demand for seats in these schools."

Chancellor Klein focused on the racial and class makeup of the schools, which he hopes can "close the achievement gap that has existed for far too long between black and Hispanic students and their white and Asian peers." He also focused on results, stating that "last year, charter school students in our city — who are overwhelmingly black or Hispanic or poor — performed at the same level as students across New York State."

UFT's Concerns

Ms. Weingarten, while generally supportive of the expansion of charter schools, issued a statement in the wake of the announcement that urged the creation of new buildings for the schools. "Charter schools can be laboratories for educational innovation if they are well-organized, have a clear mission with a solid curriculum and treat students, educators and parents with respect," she said.

"But given the increasing overcrowding we are seeing in many buildings, we are concerned that some schools will be denied smaller class sizes or a full panoply of programs if they are forced to share space with charter schools," she added. "They should have their own space and be as transparent and open as regular public schools in order to ensure a level playing field and avoid divisive situations where the needs of charter school students are pitted against those of other public school students."

The UFT is collaborating on one of the charters, the Green Dot Charter School, which opens in the Bronx in September. Green Dot, an organization that operates 12 highly successful charter schools in Los Angeles, was recruited to open a New York outpost because of its receptiveness to unions — while most charter schools do not employ unionized Teachers, Green Dot actively encourages its employees to join unions.

'Principles in Sync With Us'

"Green Dot's core principles are very much in sync with those of the UFT," Ms. Weingarten said in April after agreeing on the location in the South Bronx. "Our educators welcome the opportunity to work in schools that have small classes, foster collaboration and respect for educators and actively involve parents."

Steve Barr, founder and CEO of Green Dot, added, "Our schools in Los Angeles have a great track record of serving communities with large Spanish-speaking populations of students, many of whom are new immigrants or are still learning English ... we know we'll be serving many students with similar backgrounds in the South Bronx, and we are confident our new school will fill a need and fit well with the neighborhood."

Despite the UFT's warnings about charter schools opening inside existing schools, the Green Dot school will share space with Intermediate School 162 at East 149th St. and St. Ann's Ave., starting with 120 students in the 9th grade and adding a grade each year until it has grades 9 through 12 filled. The UFT has contended the building has "enough space to comfortably house both schools."

The number of charter schools in the city has gone up from 17 in the first year of the Bloomberg administration to 78 currently, with eight more already approved to open and another 25 proposals under review. The Mayor pledged to double the number of charter schools in the city when campaigning for re-election in 2005, and successfully worked with Albany legislators to lift the cap on charter schools here in 2007.