Charter School Battle Erupts On Lower East Side, 11/18/09: City Council Member Rosie Mendez Speaks

from the ny1.com account of this raucous meeting
http://ny1.com/1-all-boroughs-news-content/news_beats/education/
Hundreds of vocal parents and teachers turned out at a Lower East Side school Wednesday night to oppose plans to expand a charter school in their neighborhood. NY1's Lindsey Christ filed the following report.
The Lower East Side is the new front on the war over charter schools sharing space in public school buildings.
Girls Prep Charter School is adding a middle school, but other schools in the neighborhood say they don't have room for it in their buildings. The Department of Education disagrees and presented three potential plans for moving schools around to make the space.
"They should go to another school, not our school," said one student.
The crowd at the Community Education Council meeting couldn't fit in the door and the police eventually had to clear the aisles. With every sentence said in English and then translated into Mandarin, Spanish and Bengali, there was plenty of time for the crowd to jeer at each proposal and boo the presenters.
All three of the Department of Educations' plans involve some of the schools on the Lower East Side moving to different buildings. Whether it is a charter school or a school for autistic students moving in, parents and teachers say they have no room to share.
"What they consider extra space, is what we as parents would call, most people would call school labs and art rooms, computer rooms, things of that nature, and so we're not really thinking of that as underutilized space," said one parent.
Girls Prep Charter School says it has run out of space and has to turn away six applicants for every one spot. But administrators say they regret that this has turned into a situation where schools are pitted against one another and the Department of Education.
"It is really unfortunate. And I think everyone really wants to have the best school for their children in general. That's certainly what we're about and I'm sure that's what the other schools are about. At the heart of it, I think that it's an unfortunate process that really makes people uncomfortable and nervous," said Girls Prep Charter School Founder Mariam Raccah.
While everyone says they are defending children, most are defending the children at their own school.
The Department of Education will have to figure out what to do about the big picture. Parents, however, say they don't trust the DOE will make enough space for everyone in the neighborhood.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Charter School Protest
• Lower East Side