Charter School Co-Location Meeting Gets Heated, Ends Abruptly

Tensions were high Saturday at what was intended to be an open information session for Success Academy Cobble Hill, , a public school building that houses three schools.

Protesters stood on the steps of the Carroll Gardens Library, chanting anti co-location slogans as sleet turned to heavy snow.

"Co-location kills public schools!" chanted the crowd.

The chants grew political as people filed into the building.

"We are the 99 percent!" was followed by "Bloomberg and Moskowitz are the one percent!" in reference to Eva Moskowitz, former city councilmember and founder of the Success Charter Network.

The information session grew so heated, Moskowitz ended the meeting early, amid shouts and arguments within the audience.

The atmosphere was charged with tension even as people filed into a basement conference room of the library. An altercation broke out at the greeting table, where guests were asked to provide names and contact information. Some attendees, who had just come from chanting anti co-location slogans at the library's entrance, insisted that the Success Academy reps acknowledge that providing names did not mean they were attending in support of the charter school.

Those opposed to the Success Academy co-location in Cobble Hill appeared to far out-number those in favor of it.

Many of the protesters were there to fight co-location at schools with Autism/ NEST programs. Before the Baltic Street co-location was announced, MS 447 parents rallied against the charter's move to District 15, fearing their school would be chosen for the co-location. MS 447 is one of the few schools in the area with a NEST program, and parents said a co-location would compromise the students education.

Mollie Bruhn, a public school teacher in Bushwick, was out to spread the word about the downsides to co-location. An active member of the Grassroots Education Movement, Bruhn was ready with pamphlets and DVD copies of a documentary film, created by Real Reform Studios and Grassroots Education Movement, titled “The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman.” (In reference to the film "Waiting for Superman.")

“I'm opposed to co-location because I have seen the damage it creates in our education system,” said Bruhn. Among her concerns were how programs such as Success Academy conduct admissions.

"They do not accept as many English as second language students and often don't participate in free lunch programs,” Bruhn continued. “I'm opposed to charter schools in general because they distract us from the real problems, and takes us away from key issues such as funding. I believe supporting Success Academy today is detrimental to all of our schools."

Representatives of Success Academy painted a different picture, however. Susan Renner and her husband J.C. were attending the information session to promote Success Academy. Both stood before the crowd, along with their daughter Grace, who is enrolled in Upper West Success Academy, a Success Charter Network school.

“I don't know how many of you have to get your children out of bed each morning for school,” Susan Renner said after introducing herself. “But I tell you, my child is excited to go to school each morning.”

The three parents gathered to represent Success Academy applauded the program, and all seemed to concur that above all, they had never seen their children happier or more excited to attend a school program.

“We were zoned out of our excellent public school,” explained the Renners on how their daughter came to attend Success Academy. The Renners were then re-zoned to PS 191.

“It is very much an under-performing school," said Renners. "For us, it just wasn't an option.”

“I don't feel like I should have to spend money on private school tuition,” continued Susan Renner, who found out about Success Academy through a neighbor and was accepted by lottery in the school's first semester.

Upper West Success Academy was co-located into the Brandeis Education Campus located on West 84th Street, where four high schools were already located. Moskowitz and Success Academy faced fierce opposition there, too, but the lawsuits brought against the organization were ultimately dismissed when judges ruled in favor of the charter program.

In Brooklyn, residents and parents opposed to the program were ready to put up a fight. The Renners' introduction was interrupted on several occasions as people called out from the crowd.

“What about PS 29? What about PS 58?” someone called from the audience.

When J.C. Renner acknowledged that the public school system is flawed and poorly performing, another attendee shouted “Then fix it!”

“What about the children in the existing schools who are compressed into half the space?” demanded one audience member.

“I have talked with some of these students, and they seem excited to see the young students around,” Renners said, adding that Upper West Success helped breathe new life into the complex of failing high school programs.

This was when tensions escalated in the audience, which had been growing increasingly more agitated.

“Excuse me, this is an information session, questions may be asked after the presentation,” said Jenny Sedlis, Director of External Affairs at Success Charter Network.

Eva Moskowitz quickly took the stage, in an attempt to calm the crowd and address the opposing remarks.

“Everyone, please relax,” began Moskowitz, Starbucks coffee cup in hand.

“I want to flesh out what our parents have said," began Moskowitz, attempting to steer the meeting back to the Success Academy mission. "One of our standards for great schooling is [to have] a compelling program."

“Of course, academics are important – but I have visited 400 schools, and school is not always a compelling place. We have to ask ourselves – if the law did not compel kids to come, and parents didn't need childcare – which trust me, as a parent I find hard to imagine – would children attend school?” continued Moskowitz.

“I would argue, even in good schools, that the answer would be no. We so seldom consider schooling from the child's point of view.”

The overwhelming number of audience members opposed to the program responded with dismay, as the exchange became more heated, and more personal.

“Have any of you been to a co-located school and seen space that was taken away?” demanded J.C. Renner at one point. Immediately, arms went up as a large percentage of the audience waved their hands angrily, comments lost as people spoke at once.

Renner shook his head grimly.

“I've never seen that,” he responded.

As arguments escalated, Moskowitz threatened to cancel the information session. Hecklers from both sides began to shout – parents who were in attendance to learn more about the Success Academy program angrily addressed protesters, who in turn recited statistics and raised concerns about compromised programs throughout the public school system due to charter school co-location.

“You are taking away my right to hear!” yelled one parent who had come to learn about the program, not protest its existence.

“You're taking away our right to space in schools!” was the response.

After continued outbursts, the session was abruptly adjourned. Moskowitz spoke briefly to members in the crowd before leaving, and Sedlis and the Renners remained to talk to prospective parents.

Larissa Bailiff, whose child attends PS 32 in Carroll Gardens, was vocal about her opposition to charter schools depleting space for public schools, but regretted that the meeting lacked sufficient dialogue.

“I wish that [Moskowitz] had been able to talk,” she said. “And at the same time, I'm excited to see that even on this rainy, snowy day, parents came out to express their concerns.”

Bailiff was concerned that one thing would be lost in translation.

“Every single person here, all of us, are all here for the kids.”

Bailiff acknowledged that a longer and harder fight lies ahead.

Success Academy will continue to hold information sessions "however they can," and protesters will continue to protest, contact government officials and attend meetings such as these.

“These are the same group of people who follow us around wherever we go,” said Sedlis.