Another Voice / Public education
Ann Morgante, Neil Shanahan and others: NYSUT needs to start supporting charter schools
Just imagine this scenario. The United Auto Workers decides to fully support its salaried employees, but not its hourly workers. Further, it suggests that General Motors sell just those cars that remain on its lots and advises that no more dealerships open and no additional autos are manufactured. How loud would be the cry from the hourly workers, who pay the same dues as their colleagues and expect the same representation?
As members of the Charter School for Applied Technologies’ Teacher Association, we are just as confused about our union, the New York State United Teachers. You see, like thousands of educators from traditional public schools, we pay dues. And for them, we expect equal representation.
It seems so simple but, for some reason, the union’s leadership cannot seem to grasp it. The most recent evidence came in the form of a News article that included some of union President Richard Iannuzzi’s thoughts on charter schools. In it, he called for a local cap on the number of charter schools and tighter restrictions for charters. He also worried about the financial “drain” of charters on traditional school districts.
Why does NYSUT believe too many charter schools exist in this area? Shouldn’t Buffalo’s parents make that determination? In the city, many parents choose to send their children to charter schools because the job of educating them just isn’t getting done.
Iannuzzi also called for higher standards for charter schools that seek renewal. A charter school needs to jump through hoops every three years and then, every five years, submit to a very stringent renewal in which everything is analyzed. The curriculum is pored over, teachers and students are interviewed and all bookkeeping is examined under a microscope. How much higher can standards be for schools that have already proven to be successful?
District teachers who are NYSUT members constantly hear the point from union leadership that charter schools are money-grabbers just trying to put traditional districts out of business. This is simply not true. The funding that charter schools receive doesn’t even come from districts; rather, it comes from the state. The current funding allocation directs two-thirds of the amount of money each district spends per pupil to the charter school.
What is forgotten is that the home district gets to keep 33 percent of the money and gets zero percent of the student. That’s some deal. Charters deliver a quality education to each child for two-thirds of what a traditional district would receive. When NYSUT leaders say otherwise, how are they serving their dues-paying charter-school teachers? The answer is that they are not.
We ask Iannuzzi and NYSUT to show us the same support they show district teachers with their actions. Because their words tell us otherwise.
Ann Morgante, Neil Shanahan, Christine Twarozek and Nicole Killion are officers of the Charter School for Applied Technologies in Buffalo.
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