BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | In a confusing turn of events, on Wednesday night, with less than 24 hours notice, the Department of Education canceled a public hearing that had been scheduled for Thursday evening on Success Academy charter school’s application for a “nonmaterial” change to allow it to open a new elementary school in School District 1, which includes the East Village and Lower East Side.
However, City Councilmember Rosie Mendez’s office issued a press release saying that, even though D.O.E. has called off the hearing, the community will “move forward with its own forum” at the same scheduled time and location — Thurs., Jan. 8, at P.S. 20, the Anna Silver School, at 166 Essex St., between Houston and Stanton Sts., at 6 p.m.
Before the hearing, though, Mendez and others will hold a press conference outside P.S. 20 at 5 p.m. to address the last-minute cancellation by D.O.E.
Success Academy, which is run by Eva Moskowitz, was previously approved by the SUNY board of trustees’ Charter School Committee to site a new charter in neighboring School District 2 — which includes Greenwich Village, Chelsea and Tribeca. But the nonprofit charter operator subsequently applied for a “nonmaterial” change to move this charter to School District 1.
Under current SUNY policies, there is no public hearing required before this “nonmaterial” change, since it takes place within the same borough. However, following advocacy by Councilmembers Mendez and Margaret Chin and Assemblymember Deborah Glick, SUNY has now agreed to take public comments from the School District 1 community before deciding whether or not to approve Success Academy’s “nonmaterial” change.
Yet, Mendez reported that at 6:38 p.m. on Wed., Jan. 7, she received an e-mail from D.O.E. stating: “In light of the fact that D.O.E. is not planning to site a school in District 1, tomorrow’s hearing has been cancelled.”
Nevertheless, to date, Success Academy has not, to anyone’s knowledge, rescinded its application for School District 1. Unless they hear that the application has definitely been pulled, Mendez said, the community will go ahead and hold its own hearing.
On Monday, The Villager had a telephone interview with Ann Powell, Success Academy’s spokesperson, before there had been any word of cancelling the hearing. In fact, Powell said Success Academy is very much interested in opening a new elementary charter school in District 1. However, according to her, D.O.E. does not feel there is currently space for this new charter, and so told the charter outfit to defer on opening this school for a year.
No location has been set for exactly where this new charter would go — as in what existing District 1 public school building it would be co-located, for example.
Powell notified The Villager at 7:24 p.m. on Wednesday that it looked like the hearing was going to be canceled, but that D.O.E. would have to confirm that.
Asked why D.O.E. was scuttling the scheduled hearing, she said, “I would guess because no location has been set [for the school] and opening is deferred a year.”
For more on Success Academy’s plan to open — though, at this point, who knows when — a new charter school in District 1, and opposing views on both sides of the charter-school issue, see the full article in this week’s issue of The Villager, in print or at thevillager.com .
