We posted this one before the holidays, but in case it slipped your mind, here’s a reminder that a public hearing will be held Thursday evening on Success Academy’s plan to open a new charter school on the Lower East Side. Local activists have been campaigning against the proposal; they’ve collected 2300 signatures on an online petition. No specific location has been announced for the new school. Here’s the DOE’s notice:
Notice of Public Hearing: Non-Material Revision
A public hearing is being held to solicit comments regarding a non-material revision. Success Academy Charter School NYC 1 has expressed interest in opening in CSD 1.Date: January 8, 2015
Time: Speaker Sign in: 5:30 PM Presentation, Questions, Comments: 6:00 PM
Location: P.S. 20—The Anna Silver School Auditorium 166 Essex Street New YorkDetails: This public hearing is open to anyone interested in providing public comment about the non-material revision for each Success Academy Charter School NYC 1. Success Academy Charter Schools NYC 1 is planning to open in Fall 2015. Proposed enrollment and grades served are as follows in the 5th year: 675 students in grades K-5. This application to open the charter school has been approved by the State University of New York Charter School Institute. Links to SUNY applications can be found here: http://www.newyorkcharters.org/create/request-for-proposals/january-2014-suny-request-for-proposals-round-2
Comments are welcome; speakers must register within 15 minutes of the hearing’s start time. Written comments will also be collected at the hearing or can be submitted via email to: charterschools@schools.nyc.gov or faxed to 212-374-5760 within 48 hours after the hearing’s close.
The text of the notice for the public hearing is very misleading. It says that the application to open the charter school has been approved by the SUNY Charter School Institute. Yet, when you look at the materials submitted, NONE of the materials reference District 1. Hence the request for a “non-material revision”. This is part of why local activists are objecting. The application included demographics, statistics, and references to District 2, not District 1. There was no community feedback solicited from District 1 or any assessment done of District 1 needs. It’s a classic bait and switch. Changing the district from District 2 to District 1 after the fact is a big deal. They are trying to subvert the process and pull a fast one on District 1 residents.