Opinion

Eva’s lesson for Bill

Bill de Blasio found himself a lonely man Thursday as he tried to defend his decision to keep the city’s schools open in the midst of a Nor’easter that ended up dumping about 10 inches of snow on the city.

Parents railed. The public advocate and City Council speaker distanced themselves. A mild-mannered weatherman got into a tweet war with him. Even the head of the teachers union called the mayor’s decision “a bad mistake.”

Yet there was one public-school leader the mayor might have invoked to justify his decision. Like de Blasio, this one also kept her schools open. Inconveniently, it happens to be Eva Moskowitz — the charter-school leader whose public schools the mayor is trying to shut down.

The contrast between the two was only heightened by Thursday’s storm. For though they made the same call on keeping their schools open, it’s clear they did so for entirely different ­reasons.

In defending themselves, the mayor and his chancellor invoked a variety of issues: the hot lunches and breakfasts the schools offer the children; the child care it provides working parents; the shelter from the elements. Nothing here about learning.

By contrast, Moskowitz kept her schools open for one reason: In a city where the overwhelming number of black and Latino students are failing their proficiency tests, she believes students cannot afford to miss the precious education they get.

An e-mail the Success Academy Charter Schools sent to teachers after the storm confirmed the priorities: “We know [getting to school] means you have to wake up a bit earlier and deal with a few more hassles, but WE and most importantly your SCHOLARS and FAMILIES truly appreciate your dedication and tenacity!”

Maybe next snowstorm, when the mayor needs a credible voice on public education to explain why schools should open, Bill might turn the podium over to Eva.