Public Advocate Wants To Reform Process For DOE School Co-Locations
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The city's public advocate wants to reform the way the Department of Education co-locates charter schools.
Speaking in Downtown Manhattan Wednesday, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said he wants to reduce future conflicts between charter and public schools over co-locations.
He also calls for the DOE to put easy-to-understand information online and create an independent school space evaluator, among other things.
His requests comes as a court is expected to rule on the legality of 17 charter school co-locations and expansions that the DOE wants to initiate next year.
"These decision around school co-locations are done the wrong way. They're done with no real effort to tell parents what the results will be for their kids, without objective opportunities for parents to comment and without any evidence that those comments lead anywhere," de Blasio said.
"These problems are just seeping out. I think they've been there already, but I think now with the charter schools coming in, it's just now a big issue because of the space that they need," said parent Regina Castro.
In a statement, DOE officials said they always look to refine their processes and hear suggestions, and in a city where space is at a premium, they are going to continue to ensure buildings are being used effectively.