Friday, April 22, 2011

NYC Parents Union Says: Don't Vote for Puppets

Today is the deadline for district parents seeking to join their CEC’s.  The Charter Center, which represents charter schools is doing outreach for charter parent candidates to serve on CEC’s even though their schools claim exemption from almost all State and City laws and regulations, including those which created the CEC’s and which require PA’s and SLT’s!
Without an adequate public school parent candidate base for the CECs we face the very real possibility of having the charter school crowd – which represents only 4% of this City’s student base – controlling not only City Hall and the DOE, but also potentially co-opting our legislated elected public school parent forums meant to represent the other 96% of us.  Majority of charters don’t even have PA/PTA’s even after the NY Charter Parents Association (NYCPA) changed NYS Ed Law requiring every charter in NYC to establish a PA/PTA.  NYCPA states charter schools don’t want parents involved except to divide our communities by attending public hearings and the PEP to fight district parents for space in district school buildings; go to Albany and ask legislators for more money for the charter schools run by private ed corporations and now to undermine the district parents by placing charter parents on the CEC’s.
Below is an email from the Charter Parent Advocacy Network/Charter Puppet Advocacy Network which is run by the Charter Center to organize charter parents to serve their private ed corporations interests.  They’ve decided to take over district CEC’s which are a threat to charter school expansion.
This is a real threat to district schools and parents.  What can YOU do?
  1. Apply online yourself to join your CEC by going to: www.powertotheparents.org
  2. Tell your PA/PTA Presidents, Secretaries and Treasurers NOT to vote for any charter parents
  3. Attend the candidate forums beginning next week and make your voice heard that you DO NOT want charter parents on your CEC because charters are not part of the district but are private ed corporations
  4. Call your Borough President and tell them you will not vote for them next election if they appoint any charter parents to your CEC
  5. Join the NYC Parents Union in our fight to ensure our kids get a quality education
In Solidarity,
NYC Parents Union
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Below is the email from the Charter Center.
Dear Charter School Parents and Caregivers,
Please don’t miss the opportunity to be part of New York City’s Community
Education Councils (CECs). We are encouraging parents with an interest in
serving, a passion to advocate, and who have both the charter school and
district school connection to file an application and be a voice for ALL
public school students.
In order to run for a CEC seat you must satisfy one of the below criteria:
* Have children in district schools now, or
* Have had children in district schools within the last two years
(please indicate on your application)
* Note that state law currently does not allow for charter school parents to
serve on CECs unless they meet one of the above two criteria. Under the law
only parents with a child attending a district school, or one who DID attend
a district school within the past two years can serve.
This law creates an unfair divide among public school parents…district
school parents are represented, charter school parents are not. We are
working to fix that! (Remember, you don’t necessarily need to have a child
currently attending a district school, as long as one did within the past
two years you will still fit the criteria.)
What is a Community Education Council?
Community Education Councils (CECs) are education policy advisory bodies
responsible for providing guidance and input in policy decisions that affect
the local school district. CECs play an essential role in shaping education
policies for the New York City public schools. Each CEC consists of nine
elected parent volunteers who provide hands-on leadership and support for
their community’s public schools. Council members hold meetings at least
every month with the superintendent and the public at-large to discuss the
current state of the schools in the district.
If you have any questions regarding the application please feel free to
contact me. The information above was taken directly from NYS law regarding
CECs.
Sincerely,
Valerie Babb
Director, Charter Parents Action Network (CPAN)
NEW YORK CITY CHARTER SCHOOL CENTER
111 Broadway, Suite 604, New York, NY 10006
T: 212.437.8317 F: 212.227.2763
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=2tMJpM7F%2FSNcHSzOb7u
i2Bzqb2ndfI5A> www.nyccharterschools.org<http://www.nyccharterschools.org/>
It’s about great public schools.

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