In just a few days, the “other” New York that Bill de Blasio says he represents — the poor and powerless — will march across the Brooklyn Bridge to raise their voices for a better future for their children. When they do, they will find de Blasio standing among the powers working against them.
The march is organized by the Coalition for Educational Equality, and it is scheduled for Oct. 8. That Tuesday, the coalition plans to have as many as 10,000 moms and dads marching to preserve the opportunities their children now have thanks to charter schools — opportunities de Blasio threatens to take away.
The main threat comes from de Blasio’s vow to end co-location. Because charters get no funding for buildings, they rely on co-location, i.e., unused space the city finds in other schools. At a mayoral forum in June, de Blasio explained his policy on co-location with a reference to the leader of one of the most successful charter systems: “There is no way in hell that Eva Moskowitz should get free rent, OK?”
Our answer is: Why not? Charter schools are public schools just like traditional schools, which pay no rent. Ninety-nine percent of our charter students are black or Latino, and 75 percent qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. There are 110,000 now in charters, and 50,000 desperate kids on waiting lists hoping for the chance.
These are the people de Blasio is siding against, and he’s against them because he’s allied with a powerful special interest: the teachers unions. So if you really believe the “other” New York deserves a better future, come out and join those marching moms and dads Oct. 8.