Charter schools take PEP meeting as chance to launch PR blitz

It is so AWESOME to see NYC's charter school operators getting their parents organized – and it's making a huge difference, as all of the co-location plans proposed by the DOE were approved:

Last night's Panel for Educational Policy meeting was the second in as many months to be packed to the gills with parents and teachers passionately pleading their case.

But this time it was charter school parents, not teachers and parents at closing district schools, who drove to the meeting in busloads.

"What we are pleading for this evening is space," Trevor Alfred, a parent at Explore Empower Charter School, told the panel. "We deserve it."

At first blush, the level of passion, and sometimes anger, directed towards the panel could seem odd. Although 16 school space proposals were up for a vote, the board had never voted down a city proposal, and none of the charter school proposals on the agenda yesterday was defeated.

But charter school advocates, stung by what they felt was a bruise at last month's PEP meeting on school closures, which was dominated by charter school opponents, decided to take the opportunity to launch a new public relations offensive.

"I think this is the defining moment for the charter school movement, as an advocacy movement, to wake up," said Jeremiah Kittredge, who leads Democracy Prep Charter Schools' political organizing.

Other charter schools in attendance included the Harlem Success, KIPP, Explore, Girls Prep and Achievement First networks, some of whom had never rallied parents to a public meeting before.

"As demand for charters has increased, so has the opposition," said David Levin, founder of the KIPP network of charter schools. "People realize that now, and are making their voices heard."

Meanwhile, many of the most outspoken opponents of charter siting plans at individual school hearings were notably absent. And union officials, who last month called for the city to stop giving city building space to charters until district schools reach their class size targets, sat out the meeting altogether.

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Charter schools take PEP meeting as chance to launch PR blitz

by Maura Walz

http://gothamschools.org/2010/02/25/charter-schools-take-pep-meeting-as-chance-to-launch-pr-blitz/