DECEMBER 18-24 ,2014 West Side Spirit 17
THE LOOMING DEBATE OVER CHARTERS State legislators will look at raising the current cap on the number of charter schools BY DAVID KLEPPER
Charter school supporters and critics are preparing for what they say will be a big debate over whether to allow more of the privately run, but publicly funded schools. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Republicans who lead the state Senate support more charter schools. But teachers unions and many of the Democrats in the state Assembly say they weaken public schools. The conflict is expected to be one of the top issues facing lawmakers when they begin their 2015 session next month. The state restricts the number of charter schools both statewide and within New York City. There’s plenty of room to
grow statewide: 285 charters have been approved, far below the cap of 460. But it’s a different situation in the city, which has 231 charter schools either open or expected to open soon. That would leave only 25 slots for additional schools under the current cap. Advocates of charter schools say the caps are arbitrary and discourage groups from even beginning the yearslong process of winning approval to open a school. “I’m not just talking about lifting the cap, I think it’s time to eliminate it,” said James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center, an organization that advocates for charters. “Charters are not a virus that needs to be contained. They’re something to be encouraged.” Critics of charters are vowing to defend against these efforts.
They accuse Cuomo and Senate Republicans of doing the bidding of wealthy donors who want to privatize education. “These are truly the masters of inequality and they have an agenda, ideologically driven, to bust up our public schools,” said Billy Easton, executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education. It’s possible the debate could come this month if lawmakers call a special lame-duck session. Lawmakers floated the idea of returning to Albany in December to vote on legislative pay raises. The charter cap was one of several issues also suggested, but talk of a special session has waned as the new year approaches. Senate GOP Leader Dean Skelos said last month that he supports charters -- particularly as a way to help minority students.
Success Academy CEO Eva Moskowitz, who is at the heart of the debate over expanding charter schools
Cuomo also backs charters, which he said encourage innovation in public education, and along with teacher evaluations and rigorous standards, he said, will change a system that has “done the same thing the same way for 40 years.” “As governor I probably spend more of my time trying to change the education system than anything else,” Cuomo said at a school appearance in October. “When you think about it, it is probably the single largest public monopoly in the United States of America. Change is hard in general. Change is hard personally.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio supports the current cap, as do his allies at the Working Families Party, a coalition of organized labor and liberal activists. The WFP, which endorsed Cuomo’s re-election, has joined with his primary opponent Zephyr Teachout, to fight efforts to raise the cap. Teachout, a Fordham University law professor, vowed to fight what she says is an effort to take control of state education policy. She identified a list of several wealthy hedge fund managers who spent heavily in the campaign to support Cuomo and Senate Republicans.
“One of the things that concerns me is that we see Andrew Cuomo make this more and more of a priority over the years, and it seems to follow the money,” she said. Charter supporters counter by noting the significant political influence of teachers’ unions, who spent $8 million on the 2014 elections. “For years the state teachers union has been the biggest force in shaping those politics,” said Kyle Rosenkrans of the Northeast Charter Schools Network. “Now the playing field has been leveled.”
LEARNING TO APPLY THE RULES OF BUSINESS TO THE PHILANTHROPIC WORLD To create leaders who not only want to do good but also know how to do so in the real world, Fordham University’s Center for Nonprofit Leaders is offering a Master’s of Science in Nonprofit Leadership. The new one-year graduate degree program, currently in the midst of its first trimester, integrates business management with social justice studies through a unique arrangement between the Fordham Graduate School of Business Administration and the Fordham Graduate School of Social Service. What unifies the inaugural class is the fact that each student has the ideas, the drive and the passion to make a difference yet was seeking to advance the practical and theoretical aspects of their ambitions -- the skills, strategies and savvy. Student David Schmidt Chapman, by day a Program Coordinator for Nathans Cummings Foundation, has a vision for how theater can serve social justice; Lyrica Fils-Aime, Life Coach for the Children’s Aid Society, wants to create a resource center for immigrants; and a third student, Judith Douglas, who is Director for Regional Volunteerism at The Volunteer Center of United Way, wants to establish the Professionals with Purpose Corps to guide successful professionals ready for nonprofit careers, board
service or philanthropy. The Urban Institute reports that growth in the nonprofit sector, in both wages and employees, has outpaced the government and business sectors. This growth, coupled with the recent economic crisis, has posed significant challenges. According to a 2014 survey by the Nonprofit Finance Fund, 80% of nonprofits reported an increase in demand for services in 2013; 56% were unable to meet that demand; and 28% ended the year with a deficit. How can organizations provide more services with less money? By hiring nonprofit leaders with strong business management skills and training in advocacy. With over 300,000 public service organizations in the nonprofit sector looking to fulfill their missions and serve the growing demands of their constituencies, Fordham’s new program will position its graduates to be competitive, effective, innovative leaders. The dual focus of the program, supported by the Graduate School of Business Administration and the Graduate School of Social Service, prepares students to address the complex issues that face society and gives them the essential knowledge and skills to be savvy, successful managers of efficient and effective nonprofit organizations.
The one-year program, designed for working professionals, brings the “real world” into the classroom. Students gain business acumen and strong leadership skills while learning how to readily apply these skills in their fields of endeavor. In addition to the coursework, the program offers ongoing lectures by notable experts (who address pivotal issues challenging the changing nonprofit world.) The program also gives students full-year access to a mentor who is or was a CEO of a nonprofit organization. “I have witnessed how the lack of professional, competent management and clear direction provided by strong leadership can derail the objectives and mission of even the best intentioned nonprofit,” said Malachy Fallon. “To me, these observations underscore the need for this program and have reinforced my enthusiasm for being part of the inaugural class.” Fallon’s career at Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, which spans 30 years and where he is a Managing Director, has provided him with a clear understanding of the short-term and longterm strategies critical for the success of complex organizations in alwaysevolving environments. Training Coordinator for the Foundation Center of NYC and Fordham
Left to right, Fordham’s Francis Petit, Elaine P. Congress and Allan Luks MS student Luz Rodriquez remarks, “Those who have chosen to be the first cohort of this program are leaders in their own right. They recognize the extraordinary challenges facing our world today, and they know that for social justice to be realized, a new type of visionary and innovative leadership is required. We’re seeking to achieve excellence in nonprofit management and leadership so that we can forge ahead as champions for justice.” Allan Luks, director of the Fordham Center for Nonprofit Leaders, said “students who graduate with a Master’s of Science from our new program will be able to bring a level of insight and expertise to their nonprofit work that
has never been seen on this scale. Their leadership will also have a domino effect on the nonprofits and staff they encounter.” The Fordham Center for Nonprofit Leaders, founded four years ago, offers executive education and seminars. It is supported uniquely by the Graduate Schools of Social Service and Business Administration, with each student receiving a mentor who is or recently was the CEO of a nonprofit organization. In September 2014, the Center introduced the Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership program, which integrates social change and social justice into the teaching of management excellence.