SCRL High School Protests School Closure

Mon, Dec. 21 - Bronx, NY

At the High School for Community Research & Learning over 100 protesters, mostly students, loudly voiced their anger at the Department of Education's (DOE) notice to close them down. Students filed out in front of their Stevenson Building in the bitter cold with hand-made signs, some which read, "SCRL did not fail, the DOE failed us", "Phase-out is not a solution" and "Money for War, Money for Stadiums But No Money for Education". As this energetic crowd picketed up and down the sidewalk, they chanted loudly "Save Our School" and vowed to raise outrage at their DOE "hearing" on Jan. 5 at SCRL High. Click on title for video.

More Bloomberg/Gates/Gingrich/Sharpton/Duncan connections:The "transparency" that isn't

UPDATE

I posted this earlier this morning, but to help put it all into perspective, read Leonie Haimson in the Huffington Post: "Arne Duncan Has Become a National Embarrassment, Part II."

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From Carl Campanile's exclusive in the NY Post today we learn that Bill Gates funded Learn-NY out of his own pocket.

America's richest man chipped in to help preserve mayoral control of New York City schools.

Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates — a pal of fellow billionaire Mayor Bloomberg — has secretly bankrolled Learn-NY, the group that joined the campaign led byThe Post to extend mayoral control.

Gates funneled about $4 million to the pro-mayoral-control forces during the fierce, dragged-out legislative debate, The Post has learned. A spokesman for Gates confirmed the donation and the approximate size.

The donation helped pay for Learn-NY's extensive public-relations, media and lobbying efforts in Albany and the city. The effort include advertisements, parent organizing and canvassing — including a five-borough bus tour and trips to the state capital.

Gates gave the money from his personal pocket — not from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has pumped $150 million into the city to develop small schools. . . .

But, search the ABOUT US page on the Learn NY website and you won't find Gates's name, although you will find the same claptrap about "accountability" and "transparency."

You won't find him mentioned on the LATEST NEWS page either, or THE FACTS either.

What I'm not understanding — yet — is how Campanile is keeping his job at the paper. To me, what he reports today is absolutely damning.

— JW

August 3rd — Charter School hearing in Staten Island

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GEM news reported in Ednotes

Important reports on GEM's work in the fight against Corporatization.

Are Charters Beginning to Run Out of Kids to Cream? (July 17)
EXCERPT: Last night at Shellbank, Brooklyn Dreams came off as looking pathetic as they search through south Brooklyn for the right sweet spot. Asked to define what they offer that public schools don't, the only thing they could come up with is "smaller class sizes". Duhhh!
[continued . . . ]

Resistance Grows in Harlem (July 16)
EXCERPT: "But in recent months, the black community seems to be rising up. The old community control struggles of the 60's seem to be re-emerging where black activists are asking the same questions about dictatorial control of the schools as the white activists. The heavy hand of the Moskowitz invasion of Harlem schools has not helped BloomKlein. . . .

GEM has been serving a role in trying to bring teachers. parents and community activists together in a black/white/Hispanic united front. We have been taking a firm stand against mayoral control (NO TWEAKS) and against charter schools in any form. [continued . . . ]

The Resistance Grows: GEM News and CAPE Press Release (July 16)
EXCERPT: CAPE's statement: "“The Bloomberg administration’s long-term goal is to cut the number of public schools in half and double the number of charter schools.” This claim was recently made in a Helen Zelon article quoting long time administrators and DOE officials. It is a claim that is quite disturbing and has motivated a group of educators and parents to organize for the protection and preservation of public schools and public education.

This group, Concerned Advocates for Public Education, seeks to lend their voice to the education policy and reform debate, a voice that has been marginalized and silenced, a trend that we will stand for no longer. [continued . . . ]

— JW

"Get Bloomberg out of our schools"

That's the title of John Yanno's report of the demonstration at Tweed last Tuesday (July 8th) in the Socialist Worker.

NEW YORK--A multiracial group of 200 parents, teachers, students and community members descended on "Tweed," the New York City Department of Education building, to demand an end to mayoral control of the city's public schools. . . .

. . . Sam Coleman of the Grassroots Education Movement (GEM) decried the constant barrage of tests teachers are forced to give their students, telling the crowd that "test prep is not education" . . .

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G.E.M.'s Action Calendar July 09

UPDATED (July 18th, 10:15 a.m.)

When GEM receives notices of protests and demonstrations, we make it our business to let people know and encourage them to show up.

No excuses!!

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COMPLETED — Mon., July 6th

From the organizers:

Two teachers from the Teacher Reassignment Centers (TRCs) will also speak.
Bring signs, banners, and flyers.

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COMPLETED — Mon., July 6th:

New from David Bellel: "The Puppet Master"

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From the organizers:

We are calling all Registered Voters, Community Leaders, Politicians, Parents, Teachers, Students and all Educational Professionals to come out and Rally for Public Education!

DID YOU KNOW THAT . . . ?

On July 1, Bloomberg-Klein created a bogus Department of Education with his Deputy Mayor as its President.

1,000+ teachers are sitting in detention “Rubber Rooms” daily doing absolutely nothing at an expense to taxpayers in an amount over $100 million dollars per year.

Teachers who blow the Whistle on School Corruption get “U” ratings & are subjected to a hostile work environment.

Standardized Test Score data on children from poor neighborhoods are being used to feed the “School to Prison Pipeline.”

No Bid Contracts are given to fortune 500 businesses that are personally affiliated with the Mayor.

Special Education Students & English Language Learners are not receiving a FREE and APPROPRIATE Education. SCHOOLS MUST BE A MODEL OF AND – FOR – DEMOCRACY:

GIVE HS STUDENTS A REAL VOICE

Support Guidance Services, Career and Youth Development Programs in our Public Schools!

COME OUT, RECLAIM & SUPPORT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS!

For more info, Call: NYCNSC at (718) 857-1427 NEW YORK COALITION FOR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL CONTROL

Click here for the full-size flyer in pdf.

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COMPLETED — Tues., July 7th:

(poster on the right by David Bellel)

From the organizers:

P.S. 123 was featured in today's Daily News!

You can reach Ernestine August

Publish Post

us at 646-262-9052 or contact the school at 212-690-5925. You can ask for Doretha MacDonald or Antoniette Hardgrove. [140th St. and Fr. Douglass Blvd]

And here's how Juan Gonzalez starts his report in the News:

"They are calling it the invasion of the charter schools.

It seems to work this way:Parents at a neighborhood public school suddenly learn Chancellor Joel Klein has decreed they must surrender scarce classroom space in their building for a new charter school.

No parent or faculty meeting to gauge whether anyone wants the new school.

No official vote of the local Community Education Council.

Some young bureaucrat from the city Education Department's Office of Portfolio Development arrives one day with a bunch of maps under his arm and promptly orders a new allocation of rooms.

Boom. Done. All part of Klein's rush to create 100,000 new charter school seats over the next few years.

Well, yesterday afternoon at Public School 123 in Harlem, a bunch of angry parents staged a noisy protest against the charter invasion. [continued....]

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COMPLETED — Fri., July 10th

EMERGENCY PROTEST at P.S. 123

Fri., July 10th, 8:30 A.M.

PS 123: 301 West 140th St.
(betw. Edgecomb & Frederick Douglass Blvd)

From the organizers:

PARENTS HAVE CALLED THIS PROTEST/
Dictatorship-DoE rules in favor of Harlem Success Academy Charter School
taking over more space at P.S. 123!

Tomorrow movers, sent by the $370K - Eva Moskowitz, will arrive again to remove
materials from P.S. 123 teachers' classrooms as she invades more Public School Space
for her charter school!

Stop this drive to privatize!
Defend our Public School Space!

Be there! Spread the word.

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COMPLETED — Fri., July 10th:

OPEN MEETING — follow-up to 7/6 protest
COALITION for COMMUNITY CONTROL

Fri., July 10th, 6 p.m.
at DC37, 125 Barclay St., 4th fl.
Manhattan

From the organizers:

Agenda
1. Evaluation of "A Day of Action"
2. Strategies and Planning for the future
3. Update on Albany
4. All groups showing solidarity for the common goal (changes in school governance
5. Questions and concerns

Feel free to add topics to be discussed at the meeting.

Dear Friends,

A number of local groups who have been lobbying in Albany and advocating for an end to mayoral control are meeting on Friday, July 10, at 6 PM, at DC 37 Headquarters, 125 Barclay Street (off the West Side Highway, near Chambers on the ACE and 123) to collaborate on a strategy going forward. These include the organizers of last Monday's rally, listed below.

This is a great opportunity for parents, teachers, and concerned citizens to combine forces with others from throughout the city. We encourage CECs, Presidents Councils, PTAs/PAs, CB Education Committees, and other local groups concerned with education to send representatives and to spread the word. A vote on mayoral control in the Senate may be immanent, and nationally people are looking to NYC as an example on school governance. Concerned citizens must make our voices heard, lest the message be monopolized by those with the most money and institutional organization.

This is also a great opportunity to reach across the racial and social barriers that DOE uses to divide us and speak with one voice. I feel it is our obligation, as public school parents, teachers, staff, and other constituents, to listen and learn from each other, and to stand up for each other's interests, and to represent the wealth of perspectives that makes a great city great.

I especially extend a hand to our friends who struggle against incursions by charter schools into their local schools, and to parents of students in new schools who have been issued false promises and struggle to establish themselves. Your experience must by all means be part of our message.

I hope I will see you there.

Ann

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COMPLETED — Wed., July 15th:

FOLLOW-UP to the PS 123 protest on 7/7

Wed., July 15th, 5:30 pm
at P.S. 123
301 W. 140th St. (betw. Edgecomb and Fr. Douglass Blvd)
Manhattan

From the organizers:

A Meeting of concerned citizens & groups for equal education to follow up the 7/7 protest. Contact person: William Hargraves 718-812-1102

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COMPLETED — Thurs., July 16th:



From the organizers:

PLEASE ATTEND THIS IMPORTANT HEARING. IT SEEMS THE DOE WILL ONCE AGAIN BE TRYING TO FORCE A CHARTER SCHOOL INTO ONE OF OUR LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS!

Included on the agenda will be time for public comment on a newly proposed charter school in New York City. The following schools will briefly present: "Brooklyn Dreams"

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

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COMPLETED — Fri., July 17th:

Local Control of our Public Schools not Mayoral Dictatorship!
Parent, Student and Educator Power!
Better Public Schools not Charter Schools!
Money for Education not for War!
Whose Schools, Our Schools!

From the organizers:

What: Meeting of the Coalition for Public Education/Coalicion por la Educacion Publica
When: Friday July 17, 2009
Time: 6pm-8pm
Where: District Council (DC-37), 125 Barclay Street, 1st Floor
Trains: 1,2,3 to Chambers Street; 4,5,6 to Brooklyn Bridge; A,C, to Chambers Street; or R,W to City Hall

Proposed Agenda:
I. Welcome and Introductions
II. State Senate Update
III. Bloomberg Watch
IV. Harlem Schools on the Move
V. City-wide Public Schools Conference
VI. Questions and Answers
VII. Next Meeting
IIX. Adjourn

For more information please contact Mark A. Torres at (646) 372-7289 or harlem120@msn.com

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Mon., July 20th thru Thurs., July 23rd:


A week of Charter School demonstrations:

Monday, July 20th — at PS 123
Time: Gather at 12:30pm / Start at 1:00pm
Location: 301 West 140th Street ( 8th ave) NY, NY 10030

Tuesday, July 21st — at PS 375
Time: Gather at 12:30pm / Start at 1:00pm
Location: 141 East 111 Street ( Between Lexington and Madison) NY, NY 10029

Wednesday, July 22nd — PS 197
Time: Gather at 12:30pm / Start at 1:00pm
Location: 2230 5th Avenue (136th Street) NY, NY 10037

Wednesday, July 22nd — at Senator Bill Perkins Office
Time: Starts at 5:30 pm
Location: 163 West 125th Street (9th Floor) NY, NY 10025

Thursday, July 23rd — Tweed Courthouse
Time: Gather at 1:00pm/ Start at 2:00pm
Location: 52 Chambers Street NY, NY 10007

From the organizers:

"GEM Organizers, united with the Charter-Invaded Harlem Public School Communities and ACORN, encourage everyone to bring signs, banners and leaflets as we organize to educate our Harlem community about the injustices of Charter Schools, dictatorial mayoral control & the DOE."

Contact person: Angel Gonzalez

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Thurs., July 23rd


From the organizers:

This came about because I questioned whether public notice was given to the community at-large.

We need as many people as possible to show up. District 13 does not need another charter school. We already have the following:

Communty Roots Charter School
Leadership Bedord-Stuyvesant Prep Charter School
Community Partnership Charter School
Achievement First Endeavors Middle School- pushed into our district because they built a school in our district. They were suppose to serve District 14. They haven't done so well lately.

The other schools haven't had a graduation as yet. Leadership in which my daughter is a former student just had their first year of testing 3rd grade.

Community Partnership is not doing well.

We have Bedford Academy in our district who graduated 96% of their students this year in 4 years.

Khem Irby
718-452-0146

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Attached (and below) is the public hearing notice for Bedford Preparatory Charter School. Please share with families in your community.

Jacqui

Jacqui Lipson
CEC Administrative Coordinator
Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy
NYC Department of Education
49 Chambers Street, room 503
New York NY 10007
(212) 374-2425
(212) 374-0076 (fax)
jlipson@schools.nyc.gov

RALLY against mayoral control: Sunday, June 28th, Harlem

Anyone who opposes the Weingarten/Patterson/Bloomberg "team" effort to foist more of the same kind of mayoral control on the city for several more years needs to show up tomorrow in Harlem to tell them absolutely not.

They've had their chance to improve education in this city, and nobody's better off — not the kids, not the teachers, not the marginalized parents. In fact, we're in crisis.

NYCoRE says two borough presidents, the principals' union, and local officials will also be there to "encourage the State Senate to vote on mayoral control and not allow the legislation to sunset."

We who feel letting the legislation sunset is the only option at this point in time must be there to bring that point home.

REAL CHANGE to Mayoral Dictatorship —

OR LET THE LAW SUNSET!

Bring your signs, bring noisemakers, bring pep pills and a sac of throat lozenges, and be ready to make some noise.

Leonie Haimson is asking parents to meet up at 10:30 on the SW corner of 116 St. and Lex. The rally itself will be outside P.S. 57 at 115th St. between Lex. and 3rd.

She also reports on two stories today —

. . . about how the Mayor and his supporters are fear-mongering, in an attempt to convince the public that “chaos” and “confusion” will reign supreme if the law is allowed to sunset Tuesday night. See today’s NY Times, and the Daily News – which make it clear that these predictions of disaster are to try to force the Senate’s hand into acceding into the Mayor’s demands and accept the Assembly bill unchanged.

As Bloomberg has warned, if they try to change one word in the Silver/Padavan bill there will be riots in the street.

Nonsense! Remember how chaotic all the changes the school system have been under this administration? The destruction of the districts to make regions, the elimination of the regions to make SSO’s, the chaos created when preK and G and T admissions processes were centralized, the Kindergarten waitlists, the increases in overcrowding and class size, the attempt to close zoned schools and put charters in their place?

In fact, the philosophy of this administration has been to provoke as much “creative confusion” as possible, to enhance their lock on the system. Early on, Joel Klein told a reporter: “By doing the reorganization and actually causing some creative confusion in the system, it does make it harder for people to just rock back.”

What they fear is not chaos but the loss of total power. Riots in the street? Only if Bloomberg personally pays the rioters will this occur.

Sunday, June 28th

11 a.m. - 12 noon

P.S. 57 at 115th St. between Lex. and 3rd

Manhattan