Leftist Government Officials Attack NYC Charter Schools

Semi-News/Semi-Satire ^ | 23 Mar 2014 | John Semmens

[John Semmens]

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio pleased the teachers’ union by canceling three previously approved charter schools. However, Brooklyn City Councilman Vincent Gentile wants him to go further.

“Saying no to new charter schools doesn’t do anything to combat the over-achievement being inflicted on our community by the schools that are already operating,” Gentile complained. “The advocates for these schools imagine that a recitation of the learning gains for students in these schools should persuade us that they are a good thing. I maintain that this is evidence of the pernicious effects of the charter school movement.”

“The learning gains of students in charter schools gives them an unfair advantage over their peers in our public schools,” the Councilman pointed out. “This undermines the equality we should be guaranteeing for all children. Not every child can or wants to handle an increased burden of study. Why should those who do be allowed to pull ahead of everyone else? We can’t insure that everyone has the same genetic inheritance, but we can insure that everyone has to cope with the same school environment.”

In support of Gentile’s view, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has joined with others to file a lawsuit that would block charter schools from leasing vacant space in public school buildings. “It is better that these classrooms sit idle than that they be used to foster inequality,” she argues. “If we accomplish nothing more than to save the demoralized public school students from having to share space with charter school nerds we will have struck a blow for the kind of social solidarity that must be the uniform goal of all education.”

if you missed any of this week's other semi-news/semi-satire posts you can find them at...

http://theconservativecitizen.com/2014/03/23/semi-news-a-satire-of-recent-news-79/