Advance CEC questions for Chancellor Walcott

Question Number 1: District 1 has a limited number of seats available for our own students, yet every year more of these seats are filled with out of district students entering charter schools, high schools and specialty schools (ie: citywide G and T) that are housed within D1 buildings. District 1 K-3 is growing at a record rate, for example Kindergarten has grown by 20%, but when these kids get to middle school age we are concerned there won't be enough spots for them in D1 schools. I ask that D1 children be given enrollment priority in all current and future schools within the boundaries of D1, including citywide programs. This is a solution that is basically free and will help to diversify the schools within our district. Would you be willing to institute this policy? Question Number 2: As the Chancellor of the NYC Department of Education how will you accomplish the task of meaningfully educating our children in NYC public schools, when: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) over the last three (3) years class size has increased by ten percent (10%); each year there is a growing number of kindergarten students on waiting lists; although there is always attrition our mayor has been threatening to lay-off more than 6,000 teachers or 1 out of 12 classroom teachers; a significant number of our schools are losing Title 1 funding as the stimulus package under President Obama expires at the end of this academic year; and it is anticipated that on top of all of the cuts in recent years, the next academic school year will deliver an additional 5% or $515,000,000.00 cut in funding to NYC Public Schools.

How will these factors influence decisions regarding class size, enrichment, academic intervention and support? MIDDLE SCHOOL

District 1 parents/guardians are empowered to choose where their child will attend school rather than that decision being determined solely by their physical address. With student population growth in District 1 Elementary Schools rising, how will the above cuts effect the Middle Schools within District 1 will additional Middle Schools be developed and if so when, when and how long will this take? Question Number 3: Admissions In 1991, the former Community School Board removed all school attendance zones in order to create a choice-based admissions program in the District, that would increase opportunities for equity and decrease racial isolation, and improve the academic outcomes of all students by inviting the cultural, socioeconomic, and ethnic diversity of the community into its schools and classrooms. Even after the NYC DOE centralized the administration in 2004, District One has remained a school-of-choice district with no attendance zones, unlike any other district in NYC. We have, as a CEC and district community, lobbied and collaborated with the DoE to regain most of the policy that centralization put at risk- (parent choice, sibling preference, Pre-k to K continuity) yet there is no "fairness factor" that would grant all children equal access to schools that reflect our whole neighborhood. The data shows that, since information is not universally and equally accessible and transparent , choice alone segregates, and our community schools are increasingly segregated by race and class. ie: the web based school locator gives a false zoned school for D One addresses , and calling the referenced OSE phone number is worse. We have held countless meetings, rallies, petitions, letter writing, phone, email and fax campaigns to ask OSE to reinstate our diversity based admission program but have always been told that diversity is not a "program" that DoE can accommodate. Yet, controlled choice admission simultaneously promote diversity and equity, stability, school improvement, student achievement, meaningful choice, and the efficient utilization of school facilities.

Question Number 4: Update on common core curriculum and performance based standards 2015 implementation, will it be complete? How many tests will incorporate them? Are they all highstakes- social promotion? Is it true that opinion based writing will be replaced with research and evidence based writing? What online tools will be allowed and/certified for the research? We don't have enough libraries or computer savvy families, how will online research practice be taught? During the Chancellor's Parent Leadership Conference on June 6th it was also explained that reading information and non-fiction texts will replace narratives. If these two changes away from creative writing are true how are our children supposed to become college and career ready through becoming creative thinkers? Air conditioner manuals as a good goal for CCS to prove the need for factual understanding can not replace a creative and critical opinion! If all literacy teachers will be included in the CCS (science, humanities, history..) will that also mean that those teachers will be evaluated by the students' results? CCS are said to be fewer, clearer and higher. Aren't we simplifying and reducing choices schools and kids have today? Over and underachieving students need engagement and ownership over their curriculum. How do you think we can achieve that? Do you believe that the CCS are the solution or are they simply the next best thing and are we looking further? true- 16 new tests? true- all tests on line by 2014? true- spending one billion $ this capital plan, over 1/2 of that NEXT YEAR alone,, to get ready for these on line tests? Question Number 5: While Charter Schools serve less than 10% of NYCs school children their promise was that they would be a source of innovation and reform for all NYCs schools. How are these promised "innovations" and reforms documented and disseminated to the 90% or more PS schools? Can you give us some examples of some of the innovations, reforms or best practices that have originated in NYC Charters and have been implemented in our District One Schools?

Charter Schools are also described as providing parents and students with Choice. As described previously District One has been a District of Choice since long before the creation of Charters. For Choice to be effective it requires a level playing field so that students and their parents can compare like schools and have equal access to information. However, many current and potential charter schools articulate to Middle School in 5th grade so that the decision to go to a charter for middle school must be made a year before the District One Middle School Process takes place. Further, charters (which are private corporations) are given access to the District One mailing list to recruit District students from the PS Schools while PS Schools and the CEC have no such access or funding for such recruitment. Do you believe that these practices are representative of the promised Choice that Charter Schools were to provide or are they representative of a predatory practice as believed by many parents and school leaders in District One? Question Number 6: Manhattan Charter School plans to to replicate in Fall 2012, creating a second K-5 charter school for an additional 250-275 students in D1, based on their claims of waiting lists ( MCS claims that in 2010-11 s MCSI received 393 applications for 51 available spots, 342 more than were available). How many of these applications are from D One eligible students? fact: MCSIs also claims that 100% of its 2010-11 kindergarten class is from District 1. How many MCS students in total are from District One currently? Fact: MCS states it is looking to move its new school into an existing D One school building. Given, that D1 enrollment is growing in the double digits over the past few years, that several of our current school buildings are crowded beyond capacity ( ie: M61 = East Village Community and Childrens Workshop schools are at 140 and 120% capacity), and class sizes are growing, we have concerns about potential impact on existing programs and students if DoE sites to this new charter school in a district building. The school MCS cites as available for space is not available: (from the MCSII charter application) The most recent data from the 2008-2009 report shows current under-utilization of spaces located in CSD 1 (see chart below with current available space).

Current School in CSD 1 P.S. 20 M137 Shuang Wen Academy P.S. 188 M025

Building Capacity Over (Under) 896-303 907-296 1010-330 1477-444

Building % Utilization 66% 67% 67% 70%

Comments Now houses bilingual Mandarin program Has started a CTT track K-8th Will house expanded CPCS, 3rd section/grade Was deemed by OSP after walkthrough as not sufficient space to house GPCS MS (275 students) HOME TO 2 MSs and one 6-12th school, all serving disproportionate percentage of very high needs students and was deed after walkthrough as sufficient space to house GPCS MS (275 students) Is slated to house GPCS Middle School

M056

1651-637

61%

M060

1295-413

68%

Furthermore, while MCS claims to serve ELL and special needs children in D1, the NYS report card for 2009-10 showed 0% enrollment for ELL students. And while MCS does serve students with IEPs the school offers no CTT or self contained classes for Special education students. Given all these issues why would DoE elect to site a new charter school in a current D One building, while ignoring the needs of our existing schools?