By Patrick Hedlund
DNAinfo News Editor
LOWER EAST SIDE — The former head of a nonprofit group that oversees the after-school program for a popular dual-language public school has defended his tenure, saying his school only started charging for an after-school program after city funding dried up.
Winston Chow, executive director of the Shuang Wen Academy Network — which runs the after-school Mandarin-language program for the Shuang Wen School — stepped down from the post amid a Department of Education probe into the school's practice of charging $1,000 per student to take part in additional after-school language instruction.
Chow told DNAinfo his departure had nothing to do with the investigation, but rather his acceptance of another job and a desire to leave the public-education sector based on his lack of experience in the field.
"My resignation has nothing to do with any investigations with regards to the school, press or any alleged malfeasance," he said.
While Chow said that childhood education wasn't his "ideal field," he said he was grateful for the challenging stint at the helm of Shuang Wen's after-school program.
"In actuality, I found engaging with these issues and misunderstandings as positive in that they were a real challenge, and I enjoyed meeting those challenges on the side of a great program."
The DOE is currently investigating Shuang Wen regarding a number of issues, including the after-school program and the school's enrollment practices.
"We have several open investigations into allegations of misconduct at the school, and we take this matter very seriously," said DOE spokesman Matt Mittenthal. "While these investigations proceed, we hope parents, teachers, and administrators can work together in the interest of the children."
Chow explained that the voluntary after-school program overseen by the Shuang Wen Academy Network offers students an additional three hours of language instruction outside school hours, and that the $1,000 fee was instituted only after the school lost funding from the city's Department of Youth and Community Development last year.
Multiple sources at the school claim that a small group of parents complained about the fee and brought the issue to the attention of the DOE, which is required to investigate any allegations of wrongdoing.
It is not immediately clear whether the school's decision to charge for the program violated any DOE rules.
"A supplementary program is not giving students an unfair advantage," Chow said, noting that Shuang Wen principal Ling Ling Chou works with any students in need of additional language instruction within school hours.
"If she sees that there's a child that by chance doesn't attend the after-school program or isn't doing so well in the Chinese language courses, she's going to specifically help that child."
Parents said that funding for the after-school program, including money from the Department of Youth and Community Development, were often arranged for by parents with no experience in fundraising or grant writing.
"We're talking about something that has been mostly done by volunteer parents and a principal whose job isn't to fundraise," said Ceci Scott, a parent of two Shuang Wen students and a board member of the Shuang Wen Academy Network.
She noted that as the school ballooned from just 42 students in 1998 to 600 students by 2006, Shuang Wen's nonprofit arm was forced to increase its budget to accommodate the growth.
"It is an incredibly low amount of money to pay for that kind of after-school program," Scott said of the $1,000 fee, noting that it simultaneously covers childcare for parents who might otherwise pay more for an outside program that does not include language instruction.
"My children both speak Mandarin now, it's unbelievable. I feel like this is just an incredible jewel."
Regarding his resignation, Chow noted things like the recent high-profile departure of former magazine executive Cathie Black as city schools chancellor make it clear that achievement in business doesn't necessarily translate to success the classroom.
"In the end, what was the most telling lesson is that public education — and even organizations that work with public education — is far more complicated that even business in New York," said Chow, who left the nonprofit after just eight months and declined to say what job he taking.
"Running a school is not like running a business."
