Welcome to the New York Charter Parents Association

New York Charter Parents Association is a nonprofit organization founded to advocate for families with children in the New York State public school system - both public charter and public district schools seeking public school choice. We are the FIRST AND ONLY independent charter parent organization in New York City and New York State. We are "OF THE PARENTS, FOR THE PARENTS AND BY THE PARENTS". We are not controlled by the charter center, NYC Department of Education or any charter school therefore we put our children first before any special interest group.

We will empower parents to successfully advocate for their children by fostering an organization of parents, guardians and extended families that will catalyze change in public education throughout New York State.

Parents deserve to choose the BEST school for their child. Competition, choice and public education options are a MUST in New York State. It is our goal to continue fighting for these options. However, we cannot do it alone. In order to advance this movement, parents need to be informed, involved and engaged - using your voice to tell your story as well. By joining us you will become a stronger and more effective advocate for your child.

BREAKING NEWS *** BREAKING NEWS *** BREAKING NEWS ***

June 1, 2010

NYCPA's TRUE CHARTER SCHOOL REFORM VICTORY

The first of June brought many long-awaited changes for parents and students in charter schools through the reforms passed by the state legislature.

The New York Charter Parents Association (NYCPA), the first and only independent charter parent organization, is pleased that the majority of the reforms we advocated for are included in the new charter school governance law. Twelve years later, the charter school law has been amended for the first time to include reforms that should have been in it all along. As charter parents, we are supporters of public school choice but understand that no system is perfect – district or charter. It boggles my mind when folks assume the charter system at 12 years old is perfect when it’s not. Yes, if we can choose where we bank, what phone or cable provider we use, why not choose where we send our kids to school? Makes sense, yes? But if you’re supposed to be a public school, you should serve the public – parents and students. We are your consumers and we deserve basic rights for our children and us.

But, for some reason, charter parents have not been respected as being the consumers in charter schools. It is our children in these charter schools and as parents we have every right to a voice in how our schools educate our children and in holding the boards of trustees accountable to properly govern our schools.

We thank Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson for implementing true charter school reform and listening to the cries of parents of Special Education and English Language Learner students who have been pushed out of charter schools; and parents whose children are victims of corrupt school leaders and incompetent/dysfunctional boards.

Like Senator John Sampson, we thank Senator Bill Perkins for having the courage to listen to our concerns and at our urgent request convene the first charter school hearing in 12 years. The charter school reforms enacted in the new charter law are a direct result of Senator Perkins’ courage and the hearings on April 22, 2010. THANK YOU SENATOR PERKINS for putting us first before special interest multimillionaire groups!

More importantly, we thank our fellow district parents, teachers, concerned citizens, Alliance for Quality Education, Class Size Matters, Coalition for Education Justice, NY Communities for Change, the UFT and NYSUT who supported us by sending thousands of emails, making calls and conducting visits to their legislators in support of our campaign for true charter school reform.

The result of the statewide, nationwide and international support NYCPA received in our fight for parent rights, student rights, accountability and transparency in charter schools was overwhelming. NYCPA proved never to underestimate the power and determination of parents to effect change without millions of dollars.

The law finally has some common sense, basic rights and respect for parents and students in charter schools. NYCPA’s victory included the following reforms:

• EVERY charter school in NYC is now required by law to have an independent parent association or parent-teacher association. Now parents will have an opportunity for true voice in their schools.

• Charter schools are now required by law to serve a comparable number of special education and English language learner students to district schools AND must retain them and prove their retention efforts. Charters must demonstrate at the time of renewal how they will meet those requirements, with repeated failure to meet those targets serving as cause for revocation of the charter. The days of pushing out and counseling out those students are over.

• Audits of charter schools by the State Comptroller. Increased oversight of charter schools and the board of trustees who are supposed to be governing and running the schools. This applies to their financial, operational and management programs, including the disclosure of conflicts of interest and the conducting and publicizing of monthly board of trustee meetings.

• The Chancellor stripped of his authority to authorize new charter schools. The Board of Regents and SUNY Charter School Institute are now the ONLY authorizers of charter schools. 

• Prohibition of for-profit organizations from operating or managing any new charter schools.  

There are also many important reforms that did not make it into this legislation. NYCPA will continue to fight for teacher and staff protections in charter schools for whistleblowers who report mismanagement, corruption and ill treatment of our children. We also stand united with our fellow district school parents in saying the co-location issue was not properly addressed. The new charter law requires that all co-located schools have building councils, but these already exist; the requirement in the law that the building council include one parent will not make much of a difference. We need a better process for co-location. The pitting of district and charter parents against each other must stop.

Charter parents MUST also remember that the ONLY reason we are charter parents is because our district schools are failing. It was plain old luck in the lottery that got my child and the other 30,000 students in charters. We must not forget and cease to care about the 1.1million students in district schools.

Peace and blessings,


Mona Davids