Mosaic Prep/HSA Charter Invasion Follow-up

Follow-up to this story on Ed Notes:

Eva Moskowitz Wants Mosaic Prep Academy- Hearing, Monday

There are hearings on this illegal expansion of Harlem Success 3 on Monday at 141 E 111 ST; come by 4;30 - 5 PM if you want to speak.

The below letter from Rose Jimenez is addressed to Jonas Chartock, the head of the SUNY charter institute, as well as Pedro Noguera, head of the charter committee for SUNY, which has to approve every charter authorized by SUNY, as well as any charter revision, which this is.

Dear Mr. Chartock and Prof. Noguera:

As a parent at Mosaic Prep Academy (PS 375) and a member of the Community Education Council in District 4 in East Harlem, I do not understand how the SUNY Charter School Institute could consider allowing Harlem Success Academy 3, a school that is co-located in our building, to revise its charter to substantially expand from 363 students to 468 students next fall.

Any such expansion would obviously require a significant change in our school building’s utilization, without any of the public procedures outlined in the school governance law having been implemented.

As I’m sure you are aware, the governance law, A8903, requires that any significant change in public school utilization in New York City must be preceded by an Educational Impact Statement issued at least six months before the start of the new school year, as well as a joint hearing of the DOE, the CEC and the School Leadership Team at the affected school; and finally, a vote of the Panel for Educational Policy.

None of these events have occurred in this case, and in fact, it is too late for the DOE or SUNY to allow any expansion of the school to occur without warning so late in the school year, unless these additional students would attend classes elsewhere in a non-DOE building.

A SUNY hearing on the expansion and charter revision of Harlem Success Academy 3 is due to occur this Monday, June 21, at 5:30 PM.

I would very much like to hear from you before that time as to how SUNY could countenance such a potentially illegal expansion.

Yours sincerely,

Rose Jimenez, CEC District 4 and PS 375 Parent Association President

Patrick Sullivan, Manhattan PEP rep, corresondence with Ralph Rossi of SUNY, supposedly the governing body for HSA appeals to modify the charter.

To: Rossi, Ralph
Cc: mosaicparentassociation@univision.com; Charter Schools;
robertjacksonnyc@gmail.com; efox@council.nyc.gov;
classsizematters@gmail.com; MDuffy12@schools.nyc.gov; Erin McGill;
cec4@schools.nyc.gov; pednoguera@gmail.com; Joel Klein
Subject: Re: ILLEGAL CHARTER PROPOSAL

Mr. Rossi,

Ms. Jimenez refers to the schools governance law passed by the State
Legislature in August. As the Manhattan member of the city school
board ("Panel for Educational Policy") I can assure you that none of
the legally mandated process for such a significant change in
utilization of a public school building was followed in this case.
There has been no Educational Impact Statement, no joint hearing of
the Mosaic SLT with the Community Educational Council of District 4
and no vote of the Panel for Educational Policy.

I alerted DOE General Council Michael Best several weeks ago of the
need to follow the required process in this case and several others
involving SUNY chartered schools. I have been told DOE is looking
into the matter but there has been no response otherwise.

The SUNY trustees have a legal obligation to ensure all legally
mandated procedures are followed prior to allowing the expansion of a
SUNY chartered school. Expansion of HSA 3 in the Mosaic building
without adherence to the above process constitutes a violation of law
for which SUNY trustees must be held accountable.

Frankly, given that SUNY recently came very close to losing its
chartering authority, I am extremely disappointed that its first
instinct is to deny any responsibility for compliance with the very
clear guidelines under state education law. This law was implemented
to protect public school students from the very type of encroachment
now being attempted by HSA. Instead of washing their hands of the
very real issues facing Manhattan public schools in co-location
situations, I suggest the trustees begin to more seriously consider
their moral and legal obligations to help all our students.

Patrick J. Sullivan
Manhattan Member
Panel for Educational Policy
NYC Board of Education

On Sat, Jun 19, 2010 at 10:12 AM, Rossi, Ralph Ralph.Rossi@suny.edu wrote:

I am not in the office now but it is SUNY's understanding that all of the steps for the expansion took place before the passage of the amendments to the charter schools act. The hearing would NOT be co-location hearing by the NYCDOE or a SUNY hearing on facility. Rather it is a NYCDOE revision hering required by the charter schools act for a material change to a charter located in the district, in this case enrollment. The timing of the hearing is required by regs of the State Education Commissioner and based on notice by SUNY to the NYCDOE. You can direct any questions about the space process to the NYCDOE.

Prisco Statement at Staten Island Charter Schools Public Hearing

Loretta Prisco statement
Staten Island, NY 10301
Public Hearing – Charter Schools
August 3, 2009

I am a North Shore resident, the parent of two very successful, adult daughters who graduated Title 1 schools here on the North Shore. More recently, as an adjunct from CSI, I had students placed in PS 16 for field placement and visited regularly for 7 semesters. There are no finer teachers in this system.

We don’t need a charter school on Staten Island, nor do many members of this community want one. But this is not about what the community wants or needs. We know from the practice of the DOE all over the city – you will forge ahead – above the voices of the communities, CECs, and the affected schools.

How can we be asked to offer comment on these schools without being given the plans prior to public hearings? Why is this hearing sprung on us in the middle of the summer? And without complete information? How can you hold a hearing without directly involving the traditional public schools that will be affected by these charters? Aren’t they still your schools? Are you writing them off? And their students?

Since these charters will happen, though in vain, we ask for certain things to be in place.

1. Unlike existing charters, these charters should have the representation of children with special needs and ELL children – especially if a charter is to be named after Barak Obama and any school preparing children for a “new world”.

2. While spending public tax dollars, charters do not answer to the tax payers. They only answer to their Board of Directors. Charters do not have a mechanism for parent, staff or community decision making. Any charter in this community should involve the community, in its planning and with its oversight.

3. Charters that are for profit serve their shareholders, and those that are not for profit serve their funders. Neither serve their students. In these schools, children’s interests should be served before the interests of shareholders or dictates of funders.

4. Charters are systematically invading our public schools and pushing our traditional schools out of their own buildings, despite their promises of moving out. The schools should not, now or ever, be shoved into our overcrowded schools.

5. Charters counsel out students who are not performing or are discipline problems and return them to our traditional public schools. Children who are accepted into these charters should stay in them.

6. Charters increasingly, have been reported for corruption, incredibly high salaries, and theft of service, while demanding that they not be audited. These charter school salaries should be commensurate with the UFT and CSA contracts, and be audited by the Public Advocate.

7. Charters are creating a two tier system – separate but not equal schools as greater corporate dollars are pumped in to initially capture the student market. You must provide the same class size and resources to the affected schools as you are providing to these charters.

8. Charters cream the highest achieving students off the top. The creaming takes place in recruitment of students, not in the lottery. There must be a system in place that prevents these nefarious practices.

I ask that the CEC allow for public comment after all plans for the school are released, the affected schools and community be properly notified, and community members have returned from public school.

Affiliations: Parents Action Committee for Education(PACE), Independent Community of Educators (ICE), Coalition for Public Education (CPE)

Charter School Public Hearing: Staten Island,Aug. 3, 2009

Notice of Public Hearing

A public hearing is being held about two newly proposed charter school applications submitted to the Department of Education (DOE). The applicants hope to serve Community School District 31.

(NOTE: This hearing will be incorporated into the CEC 31 Calendar Meeting of August 3rd.)

Date: MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2009

Sign-In Time: 7:00-7:30 PM

Hearing Time: 7:30-8:30 PM (as part of the CEC Calendar Meeting)

Location: Petrides Complex

715 Ocean Terrace, Room 118A

Staten Island, New York 10301

Details: This public hearing is open to anyone interested in learning about the proposed charter school application for Barack Obama Community Charter School and New Worlds Preparatory Charter School.

Written comments will be collected on the day of the hearing and can be submitted via email to: charterschools@schools.nyc.gov

Pursuant to Education Law 2857(1), the New York City Department of Education is required to hold a public hearing to solicit comment from the community in connection with any proposal for a charter school.

Office of Charter Schools

212-374-5419

CharterSchools@schools.nyc.gov