Emails with a teacher

I’ve received a deluge of emails as a result of the NYT story (www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/fashion/06charter.html), none more interesting than the exchange below.  The fact that someone who’s been in the system (both public and charter schools) for many years thought that charter schools supporters are to blame for her school’s lack of resources, rather than politicians/unions/The Blob, speaks volumes about how much work we have to do:

 

From: X

To: WTilson@T2PartnersLLC.com

Date: Sun, 6 Dec 2009 12:59:13 -0800 (PST)

Subj: charters!

 

Dear Mr. Tilson,

 

This is a 'rant' I put together after reading an article in today's NY Times about hedge funds and Charter schools. I am furious!

 

Charter Schools, especially in New York City, are touted as the cure for all that plagues public education. Mayor Bloomberg, Joel Klein, and now the New York Times has stated, many Hedge Funders, are in full support of charter schools. Why then, when I walk into my charter school in Harlem, one that is frequently in the press and mentioned as a top charter school, am I forced to sweep floors, tidy the bathrooms and pick up garbage because there are seemingly no funds to hire a custodial staff? Why am I working Saturdays, ten hour days (plus), and mandated to make phone calls home on top of giving out my own private phone number so students and parents can reach me twenty-four hours a day, but am not paid overtime? If all of the so called “supporters” of charter schools really want us to succeed, if they are so set on showing up the current public school system and set on “saving” our kids, then fork out the cash that is required to support the staff that actually work in these schools. I love my school. I love my kids. And I think our charter has a real chance at making changes in the community; however, when winter finally turns to spring, and spring to summer, I wonder how many of us will be back to pick up garbage and sweep floors for another whole year. Charter schools are small and that means the teachers do it all. If you want us to keep performing miracles, give us something to do it with or quit pretending we have a fighting chance. 

 

A Teacher (for [many] years in both charter and regular public school)

 

Here was my reply:

 

Dear X,

 

I love your passion, applaud your work, and share your anger – but urge you to direct it where it should be.  Your school is indeed underfunded, but that’s not the fault of the generous philanthropists who make the school possible.  Rather, the state legislature, primarily at the behest of the teachers union (which of course tries to cripple charters because most are non-union), gives charters 20% less money per pupil than regular district schools.

 

Funding one type of public school student at a much lower level than another is wrong, but – for now anyway – it is what it is.  The result is that charter school founders and supporters are in a never-ending struggle to raise money to make ends meet, and sometimes can’t provide all of the support to teachers that we’d like. 

 

In light of this enormous financial disadvantage, it’s remarkable that so many charter schools (especially in NYC, which has some of the best in the country) are doing so well – and it’s in large part to the Herculean efforts of many dedicated teachers like yourself, so I urge you to keep up the fight, both in the classroom and politically, so we can persuade the state legislature to fully fund charters.  Regarding the latter, I hope you’ll go to the web site of Democrats for Education Reform (www.dfer.org), an organization I co-founded, and sign up.

 

I'd welcome any further ideas and comments you might have.

 

Thank you!

 

Best regards,

 

Whitney

 

Here was her reply:

 

Thank you for responding. I am very anxious to become involved in educational reform but am at a loss to figure out where to begin. I would love to be on your mailing list and would welcome any suggestions about where to begin my efforts in becoming actively involved.

 

And here was my reply:

 

Dear X,

 

Please keep an eye on my emails for various events in NYC – most are free or low cost.  Woody Allen was right when he said “90% of life is just showing up.”

 

Whenever you meet a politician (whether at a fundraiser or elsewhere), be sure to ask tough questions – the impact that you have, as a teacher vs. someone like me, is enormous.

 

Here’s what a question might be for a NY politician:

 

“I’m a teacher at a charter school in Harlem that’s educating low-income, minority children at a high level.  Because my school – a public school – gets 20% less money than regular public schools in my district (most of which, incidentally, are failing to properly educate children), I don’t get paid for all of the overtime I work and I am forced to sweep floors, tidy the bathrooms and pick up garbage because there are no funds to hire a custodial staff.  Can you tell me what you’re doing to address this inequitable funding and also to lift the charter cap in New York State so there can be more high-performing schools like mine?”

 

Or if you want to be more provocative, how about this (for any Democratic politician):

 

“I’m a teacher at a charter school in Harlem that’s educating low-income, minority children at a high level.  Before this, I worked at a regular public school in the same district, and the difference between these schools is night and day.  I’m also a Democrat and am furious that it is often my party that tries to cripple these schools by capping their number, denying them facilities and funding them at a much lower level than other public schools.  Why is this happening and what are you doing about it?”

 

Best regards,

 

Whitney