Dear readers,
For a year, Ms. Yourke and a small but voluble group of charter school opponents have made allegations against me and against Citizens of the World Charter School that range from the outrageous (that we are racist) to the juvenile (that I “suck eggs”). They claimed my non-profit, the Tapestry Project, did no outreach to lower income parents (in fact, we reached out to more than 20 head starts); that Tapestry isn’t truly a non-profit (it is, check Guidestar); that local parents didn’t support Citizens or were just tricked into signing sign-in sheets that didn’t indicate real support (see here at pages 445 to 505 the hundreds of signatures on petitions clearly indicating support for Citizens: www.newyorkcharters.org/pdf/Jan2012ProposalSummaries/CitizensWorldCSNY1FULLAPPLICATION.Redacted.pdf ); and that Citizens only seeks to serve affluent white students (in fact, its schools in California are admirably diverse and the organization was founded by an African American woman who believes passionately in diversity, see www.citizensoftheworld.org).
Ms. Yourke and her friends attempted to peddle these lies to Beth Fertig. Perhaps they thought she’d be receptive because she’s written several articles critical of charter schools. True -- but she is also a diligent and well respected journalist. Every single allegation you are reading in these comments and many more were made to Ms. Fertig who then pressed me about them and independently investigated them. In every instance, she found the allegations to be demonstrably false, which is why they don’t appear in her story.
Fortunately, I’m thick skinned. (I confess that I even find it amusing that Ms. Yourke publicly called my work racist and rather than apologize, she just complains she was actually quoted!) Sadly, however, many parents have been intimidated into silence.
It’s wonderful that Ms. Yourke and her friends are happy with the schools their children attend and it’s truly admirable they are so devoted to them. However, many families in District 14 aren’t so lucky or satisfied. In fact, the head of El Puente, a leading District 14 community group, said he wouldn’t send his child to any of his four neighborhood schools with the sole exception of a special dual language program contained within one of these schools. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7G_uIRiGic&feature=youtu.be. As noted in Ms. Fertig’s article, many District 14 families, particularly lower income ones, welcome charter schools because they aren’t happy with their district school options. But sadly, some parents who are lucky to have children in good schools are fighting the creation of additional options for families who aren’t so lucky.
The many parents in District 14 who supported Citizens despite the bullying should feel proud. I would encourage other parents to stand up and not be intimidated into silence. There is nothing wrong with wanting more good educational options for your own and other children in the community. There are many others like you who have been quiet just because they didn’t want to be publicly vilified.

Dear readers,
For a year, Ms. Yourke and a small but voluble group of charter school opponents have made allegations against me and against Citizens of the World Charter School that range from the outrageous (that we are racist) to the juvenile (that I “suck eggs”). They claimed my non-profit, the Tapestry Project, did no outreach to lower income parents (in fact, we reached out to more than 20 head starts); that Tapestry isn’t truly a non-profit (it is, check Guidestar); that local parents didn’t support Citizens or were just tricked into signing sign-in sheets that didn’t indicate real support (see here at pages 445 to 505 the hundreds of signatures on petitions clearly indicating support for Citizens: www.newyorkcharters.org/pdf/Jan2012ProposalSummaries/CitizensWorldCSNY1FULLAPPLICATION.Redacted.pdf ); and that Citizens only seeks to serve affluent white students (in fact, its schools in California are admirably diverse and the organization was founded by an African American woman who believes passionately in diversity, see www.citizensoftheworld.org).
Ms. Yourke and her friends attempted to peddle these lies to Beth Fertig. Perhaps they thought she’d be receptive because she’s written several articles critical of charter schools. True -- but she is also a diligent and well respected journalist. Every single allegation you are reading in these comments and many more were made to Ms. Fertig who then pressed me about them and independently investigated them. In every instance, she found the allegations to be demonstrably false, which is why they don’t appear in her story.
Fortunately, I’m thick skinned. (I confess that I even find it amusing that Ms. Yourke publicly called my work racist and rather than apologize, she just complains she was actually quoted!) Sadly, however, many parents have been intimidated into silence.
It’s wonderful that Ms. Yourke and her friends are happy with the schools their children attend and it’s truly admirable they are so devoted to them. However, many families in District 14 aren’t so lucky or satisfied. In fact, the head of El Puente, a leading District 14 community group, said he wouldn’t send his child to any of his four neighborhood schools with the sole exception of a special dual language program contained within one of these schools. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7G_uIRiGic&feature=youtu.be. As noted in Ms. Fertig’s article, many District 14 families, particularly lower income ones, welcome charter schools because they aren’t happy with their district school options. But sadly, some parents who are lucky to have children in good schools are fighting the creation of additional options for families who aren’t so lucky.
The many parents in District 14 who supported Citizens despite the bullying should feel proud. I would encourage other parents to stand up and not be intimidated into silence. There is nothing wrong with wanting more good educational options for your own and other children in the community. There are many others like you who have been quiet just because they didn’t want to be publicly vilified.

Eric Grannis prefers to minimize opposition and reduce the scope of discussion so it appears to be just myself and "a small but voluble group" opposing this school.

The opposition to Citizens of the World is much wider than myself and a small group. Every local elected official, our Community Board, the CEC and all our major Community Based Organizations are opposed, and over 300 parents signed on to the lawsuit to stop the location of Citizens of the World Charter school in District 14. Even our affable Borough President opposes this school. Hm, why would all these people work so hard to restrict parents' choice?

Citizens of the World strategically navigated our community, avoiding any member or organization with leadership in education. By crafting their presentation to appeal first to isolated new white residents and (later in the process) isolated Head Start programs, they attempted to groom support while avoiding tipping off informed leadership as to their plans.

As a member of the District 14 Community Education Council, I witnessed the vulnerability and neglect of our local schools and the DOE's inability to address the changing demographic in North Brooklyn. As a member of WIGSIG and organizer of a forum on the effect of the changing demographic on our District public schools, I saw the Department of Education completely unprepared and unwilling to address the new diversity. As a driving member of the Task Force bringing together our local elected officials, community leaders, and the Department of Education to address the integration of new residents into our public schools, I witnessed the guarded, duplicitous manipulations of the DOE leadership with whom Mr. Grannis seems so cozy. Now, many years later, to see these sincere, locally led and diverse efforts used as justification for the forced co-location of a privately run charter elementary school from Los Angeles -claiming Diversity as its theme- is appalling.

This issue is absolutely not about parents being lucky or unlucky in their schools, or having a right to choice. This community has been prevented from exercising any input in the decision-making for our District public schools, and decisions made for our District have been clumsy - at best. But parents are doing it for themselves- building diverse school communities, forming coalitions with local leadership like the Southside Community Schools Coalition and WAGPOPS, and growing lines of communication which have led to the integration and revitalization of many of our public schools. Forcing charter school co-locations is a poor substitute for genuine leadership. And packaging it as somehow more noble than supporting truly public schools is absolutely nauseating. Yes, there are problems with the public school system, but it seems those with the power to support our schools are more interested in breaking down the system than following common sense - and doing their jobs- to protect and develop the public schools within their responsibility. There is a lot of misinformation driving the dismantling of our public education system, but those of us with skin in the game are willing and able to provide real leadership and support in our communities, and here in North Brooklyn, it is working.

I did not 'complain' that I was quoted as saying the proposal for Citizens of the World is racist, and I am certainly not going to apologize. I would have preferred if the depth of our discussion had been represented in my quote, as labeling something as racist tends to flatten meaning and inflame debate.

The aggressive expansion of charter schools will one day be recognized for its destructive impact on upward mobility in our society. To claim that we oppose this school because we are "frightened by new types of things" and then lay claim to some legacy of the Civil Rights movement is outrageous. There is inherent racism in how power plays out in our public education system, and it becomes clearer as each day passes.

If you desire true diversity in your experience of community, you will find it only if you are willing to step out of your comfort zone and adapt to an environment which you do not control. To use your privilege to claim resources currently utilized by a low income community of color is not a noble exercise, no matter what fantasy you might promote. But I suppose, Mr. Grannis, you are not satisfied with having the advantages of your status, of the rigged system of charter school authorization, and Mayoral Control on your side, you must also have your fantasy of nobility satisfied as well. I'm afraid the bounds of my generosity do not extend that far.

Apparently you didn't read the article thoroughly enough. Katie was quoting what the Tara Phillips, the spokesperson for Citizens of the World is saying that our neighborhood is asking for, and Katie commented that it was (and it is) racist. And sadly, people of color (including white people) often feel more comfortable around each other than mixing with others. Tara Phillips knows nothing of the neighborhood nor the wants and needs of parents, many who were born and raised there themselves, want for their children's education. The bottom line is that Greenpoint and Williamsburg have been infiltrated by hundreds of (primarily white) people who have moved there because they are either drawn by the comparatiely lower rents or by the waterfront condominiums they can afford and which offer a quicker commute to the city due to its proximity. However now these same people have realized that their children will now have to go to the local public schools. Citizens of the World is capitalizing on those people. COW is in the business of opening charter schools and they have not been at it for very long. Their first project was opened in LA and has been met with less than enthusiastic reviews. They are targeting the affluent white newbies in the neighborhood and appealing to them for leverage so they can open one of their charter schools in our neighborhood--which, by the way, we don't need. Their claim of offering diversity to the school system is patently false, and we have plenty of diversity to begin with. I have lived in the Greenpoint Williamsburg area for the past twenty years, and I can tell you that there are Italians, Poles, African Americans, Puerto Ricans, Chinese, Koreans, Arabs....shall I continue? If the newbies in the neighborhood are afraid to send their kids to the local schools that have served the rest of us well, then they should send their kids to private schools they I'm pretty sure they can afford.

Yourke commented on her interpretion of a proposal: "This is, to me, racist.” As far as the stating the neighborhood being "infiltrated" by white people is racist in itself. Just substitute the word "black" with "white" to better understand what you said. That said, the subject area for nearly a century was white (Polish, Slav, Hungarian, Italian, and Irish).

Thank you for adding those points, Beth. The issue for us, regarding demographics, is that our neighborhood publics actually DO represent the population of children in our district. "Citizens of the World"'s mistake in their proposal, was that they claimed that our district is 55% white, yet only 8% of our white families enroll in public schools. Because "Citizens of the World" does not know our neighborhood at all and looked at this data from far across the country, they could not know that the 55% white statistic represents both the Hassidic population and the large numbers of white people in our district that do not have any children. There is a VERY real danger of their marketing (both unethical and exploiting common fears parents have of public schools generally) will REVERSE the trend towards integration and will most definitely ensure that our schools in our areas that suffer from housing segregation will REMAIN segregated.

The "Citizens of the World" proposal actually DID spell out in their proposal that they wanted 55% white enrollment: "We hope to offer families a public school option in CSD 14 that more closely mirrors their neighborhood composition." and "Our target population, then, is based on the overall population of the area." 1(b)1.

"Citizens of the World" was criticizing our neighborhood public schools for enrolling only 8% white children while our district is 55% white. They wrongly believed that families have been fleeing the district and that that would explain the discrepancy.

Because their California organization did not have any contacts in our area, they were unaware that just because our district wide population of 55% white families represents both a substantial (and growing) Hassidic population that do not use public schools, and a fairly large population of white people without children - hipsters, for example.

Our research into both the census data and the enrollment patters of the district shows that our neighborhood publics fairly accurately reflect the demographics of their zones and also points out the risk that the presence of a school designed for and marketed to white middle class families will reverse the trend of integration in our neighborhood publics and ensure the continued segregation of schools in our district that suffer from housing segregation.

"Citizens of the World" and their supporters may not like that they actually wrote down on paper such dangerous inaccuracies or that those dangerous inaccuracies have put a stain on their name, but it happened because they don't know our district and never bothered to meet with or talk to any one in our district who might have caused them friction.