Stop  School  Closings!  Stop  the  Drive  to  Privatize!

 
ĞĐ͘ ͛Ϭϵ -­‐   DĂLJŽƌ ůŽŽŵďĞƌŐ͛Ɛ ĞƉĂƌƚŵĞŶƚ ŽĨĚƵĐĂƚŝŽŶ ;KͿ ĂŶŶŽƵŶĐĞĚ ƚŚĞƉůĂŶŶĞĚ closings   of  17   public  
schools.   Soon   the   DOE   plans   to   place   many   more   so-­‐ĐĂůůĞĚ ͞ĨĂŝůŝŶŐ͟ ƉƵďůŝĐ ƐĐŚŽŽůƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĐŚŽƉƉŝŶŐ ďůŽĐk.    
Since  2002,  when  the  mayor  was  given  control  of  public  schools,  more  than  90  had  already  been  shut  down  
while  ignoring  the  democratic  voice  and  opposition  of  parents,  community,  students  and  school  staff.      
 
Despite   the   fact   that   targeted   schools,   such   as   Maxwell   High,   have   made   marked   improvements   while  
overcoming  overcrowding  and  other  imposed  negative  conditions,  the  City  does  not  accept  its  responsibility  
for   its   failure   to   improve   our   public   schools.     It   is   the   City   that   has   failed   to   provide   necessary   funding,  
resources,  facilities  (e.g.  libraries),  adequate  services  for  high-­‐needs  students  (e.g.  English  Language  Learners  
and   Special   Education)  and   smaller   class   sizes.     Instead,   the   City   exacerbates   the   problems   of   our  
neighborhood  public  schools  with  its  policies  of  school  closings.    The  resulting  overflow  of  students,  who  do  
not   find   seats   in   newly   established   select   smaller   schools,   must   be   absorbed   by   other   already   overcrowded    
ƉƵďůŝĐ ƐĐŚŽŽůƐ͘  dŚŝƐ ũƵƐƚ ƐĞƌǀĞƐ ƚŽ ͞ďƌŝŶŐ ĚŽǁŶ͟ ƚŚŽƐĞ ŽƚŚĞƌ ƉƵďůŝĐ   schools   farther   ʹ   a   potential   set-­‐up   for  
͞ĨĂŝůƵƌĞ͘͟  

Thus,  like  the  domino-­‐ƚŚĞŽƌLJ͕ƚŚĞŝƚLJĚĞůŝďĞƌĂƚĞůLJĐĂƵƐĞƐŵŽƌĞƐĐŚŽŽů͞ĨĂŝůƵƌĞƐ͟ĂŶĚĂƚĂůĂƚĞƌĚĂƚĞĐůĂŵŽƌƐ

for  their  closings.    School  by  school,  the  City  fulfills  its  long-­‐term  goal  of  turning-­‐over  all  our  public  schools  to  
the  private  sector  with  charters.    dŚŝƐ͞ĐŚĂƌƚĞƌ-­‐ƉƌŝǀĂƚŝnjĂƚŝŽŶ͟ŽĨŽƵƌƉƵďůŝĐƐĐŚŽŽls  follows  a  racist  pattern   -­‐-­‐  
charters  are  invading,  dismantling  and  taking  over  public  schools  that  service  predominantly  Black  and  Latino  
students.  

The  discredited  high  stakes  testing  and  school  rating  formulas  continue  to  be  unfairly  used  by  the  DOE  to  rate  
and   punish   school   and   teachers.   But   the   City   carries   on   with   its   contradictory   and   narrow-­‐test-­‐based  
performance  reviews.      To  close  schools  and  to  find  space  for  the  private-­‐charter  takeovers  of  public  schools,  
the  City  will  ĐŚĂŶŐĞƚŚĞƐƚĂŶĚĂƌĚƐŽƌ͞ƌĂŝƐĞ  ƚŚĞďĂƌ͕͟ĂƐŝƚwishes,  just  like  it  did  with  Maxwell  High.    In  other  
instances  (such  as  with  PS  241  and  PS  123  of  Harlem),  the  
K͛ƐǁŝůůƵƐĞƐŬĞǁĞĚĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ-­‐space  formulas  to  declare  
that  schools  have  extra  space,  such  a  specialty  and  library  
rooms,  for  the  imposition  of  a  charter  school  there.    Year  
after   year,   these   charters   slowly   invade   and  demand   to  
expand   with   the   DOE   willingly   complying   by   granting  
charter   expansion   rights.      Charters   eventually   will  
consume  the  entire  public  school  building.    

The  City,  with  it  flawed  school-­‐closings  policies,  deflects  its  

ďůĂŵĞ ŝŶ ƚŚŝƐ ΗƐĐŚŽŽů ĨĂŝůƵƌĞ͟ ĂŶĚ ǀŝĐŝŽƵsly,   with   media  
hype,   blames   teachers   AND   THE   TEACHER   UNION   for   the  
ƐĐŚŽŽů͛ƐƉƌŽďůĞŵƐ͘dŚĞŝƚLJĐŽŶƚŝŶƵĞƐƚŽ  trash  our  valued  
neighborhood   public   schools   along   with   important   long  
established   school-­‐community   support   networks   and  
traditions.       With   school   closings,   many   educators  
(especially   the   more   skilled,   experienced   and   higher   paid)   are   threatened   with   losing   their   permanent  
placements  and  are  forced  into  the  costly  (over   $80  million  yearly)    pool  of  unassigned  teachers  (i.e.  ATRs).    
Thus,   students   lose   the   talents   of   seasoned   teachers   only   to   be   replaced   by   less   experienced   and   cheaper  
teachers.    Students  often  lose  the  vital  programs,  such  as  orchestra,  drama  and  team  sports,  which  only  larger  
schools  can  provide.      

With  school  closings  and  the  imposition  of  private  charters,  our  community,  parents  and   teachers  lose  their  
right   to   democratic   input   into   their   schools.     Charter   schools   are   managed   by   private   boards   that   have  
ultimate   control.     Most   unfairly   have   no   school   worker   unions   and   thus   save   costs   by   providing   less   in  
pensions,   wages,   compensation,   benefits   and   worker   rights.     These   economic   factors   along   with   inordinate  
demands  and  workloads  result  in  the  high  turnover  rate  of  charter  school  staff.      

Unfortunately,  in  this  battle  to  stop  school  closings  and  privatization,  the  United  Federation  of  Teachers  (UFT)  
ƵŶŝŽŶŚĂƐďĞĞŶĂĐŽŵƉůŝĐŝƚƉĂƌƚŶĞƌƚŽƚŚĞƉƌŝǀĂƚŝnjĂƚŝŽŶĂŐĞŶĚĂ͘dŚĞh&d͛ƐƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐŽĨǁĂƐƚŝŶŐŵŝůůŝŽŶƐŽŶ
lobbying,   making   deals   &   concessions   to   the   city,   endorsing   political   candidates   and   issuing   empty   rhetoric  
have  failed.    The  strength  of  a  union  depends  on  the  ongoing  organization  and  actions  of  its  membership.      It  is  
not  enough  for  the  UFT  to  just  protest  at  isolated  targeted  schools  and  then  pack  up  its  bags.      

In   addition   to   local   protests   at   schools,   at   Community   Education   Councils   and   at   ƚŚĞ ŚĂŶĐĞůůŽƌ͛Ɛ Public  
Education  Panels,  citywide  mobilizations  must  be  coordinated  with  the  membership  and  community.    GEM*  is  
organizing  to  push  the  UFT  to  serve  our  community  in  our  fight  to  STOP:  
x School  Closings  
x Overcrowding  and  large  class  sizes  
x The  flawed  high  stakes  testing  madness  
x Privatization  with  charter  schools    
x Union-­‐busting  with  the  imposition  of  charter  schools  
x The  Absent  Teacher  Reserve  debacle  by  restoring  teacher  seniority  rights  in  our  UFT  contract  
x Dictatorial  mayoral  control  
 

GEM  organizes  educators  and  community  in  the  defense  of  equal  and  quality  education.    Also,  GEM  works  to  
build  a  strong  democratic  militant  union  at  school-­‐chapter  and  citywide  levels.      Join  GEM  as  we  strategize  to  
stop  school  closings  and  the  drive  to  privatize.  
 

*Grassroots  Education  Movement    

GEM  Meeting  

Mon.  Dec.  14  -­‐  4:30  PM  

CUNY  Graduate  Center  
34th  St  &    5th  Ave(Bring  ID)  -­‐  Room  5414  
 

http://grassrootseducationmovement.blogspot.com/  
http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/  
718-­‐601-­‐4901