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Stop Charter Schools from Coming to Bed-Stuy, Parent Group Insists

By Camille Bautista | February 18, 2016 3:06pm
 Community Education Council 16 is asking the city to keep charter schools from opening in the central Brooklyn district for the next two years.
Community Education Council 16 is asking the city to keep charter schools from opening in the central Brooklyn district for the next two years.
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BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A central Brooklyn education council is asking the city to stop charter schools from opening in the district amid concerns that there are too many in the neighborhood.

The Community Education Council for District 16, which covers parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant and northern Crown Heights, requested a 2-year moratorium this week from the Department of Education and SUNY, citing worries that the district is in the middle of “significant transition” and increasing charter school placements could impact progress.  

“As a Council we are not unequivocally opposed to charter schools but we believe that the District, under the leadership of the new Acting Superintendent, needs a window of time to focus on improving traditional schools, not just placing charter schools,” members wrote in a letter to officials.

The appeal comes one month after the CEC sent a separate letter highlighting their concerns that the neighborhood would reach a “tipping point” of having more students in charter schools than those in traditional public schools.

Members reiterated those same issues in their latest request, saying additional charters could “hinder the good work of improving enrollment and academic achievement at traditional public schools that is now underway.”

School District 16 recently received a new interim acting superintendent, Rahesha Amon, who says she has been working with school communities and is expected to make major announcements regarding the district at her upcoming town hall meeting.

“There are good things happening here and we want to make sure those new initiatives are successful,” said Anna Shenk, first vice president for the CEC.

CEC representatives said it was “unconscionable to saddle our newly appointed Acting Superintendent with yet another charter school before she has even had an opportunity to begin her efforts,” adding that Amon has been dealing with “a long list of inherited messes in our district.”

Most recently, the city approved a new Success Academy location in Bed-Stuy for next fall — a decision the CEC said they “chose not to fight,” in part because they said they understood buildings in the district are underutilized and make their schools a target for charter co-locations.

The CEC raised new concerns after spotting an online New York State Charter School directory that listed three new Achievement First charter schools planned for the District by fall 2016, but members said that the call for the moratorium was not specific to Achievement First.

“We thought it was important to take a position now,” Shenk said.  

“We need a window of time to improve what we have and then we can revisit charter schools, but for right now, to expect the acting superintendent to take on potentially another charter placement, it wouldn’t be good for the children in our district.”

An Achievement First spokeswoman said the network is slated to open two new schools in Brooklyn: a new charter high school school in District 19, as well as a new middle school within a district yet to be determined.

The charter school network listed Districts 16, 17, 23, or 32 as possibilities in their approved application, according to a SUNY spokeswoman.

The New York State Education Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the listings on its online directory, but has since updated it to include the other possible districts.

CEC16 members said they looked to get ahead of any attempts at opening charter schools, anticipating that at least one new school would move forward in the next few years.

“Again, we understand that the State of New York has mandated that charters be placed in available public school space but we believe that our District is shouldering too much of the burden,” the letter states.

“Not every child thrives in a charter school environment and therefore we must work to preserve and improve traditional school options in our community.”

There are currently eight charter schools in the district, compared to 29 traditional public schools, the DOE said in January.

Of the 9,086 pre-K through eighth-grade students enrolled in the area, 3,964 attend charters and 5,122 attend traditional schools, according to the agency.

"All families should have access to a wealth of great school options, and we are investing in all our public schools to ensure that parents have choices they need to meet the unique needs of their child,” said DOE spokesman Harry Hartfield.

“It doesn't matter whether a student attends a traditional public school or a charter public school — we want every child to get the education they need to succeed.”

CEC16’s request to put a two-year-halt to charter school openings follows in the footsteps of another Brooklyn CEC, which passed a resolution in December asking the DOE to keep any further Success Academies from opening in School District 13.