UFT fights Success Academy charter schools from ‘co-locating’ with Dept. of Education buildings
The city’s powerful teachers union returned to court Friday to press its case that New York’s new class-size law should prevent two charter schools from sharing space in publi𝕴c school buildings.
Th๊e legal drama is the latest in the bitter and long-running feud between the United Federation of Teachers and Success Academy, the city’s largest ch𒁃arter school network headed by Eva Moskowitz, one of the union’s chief critics.
In its lawsuit, the UFT cited the class-size law to try to invalidate the co-location of two Success Academy chaওrter schools at public school buildings in Queens and Brooklyn.
“We are confident that this judge will do the right thing, which is to♈ allow these schools to open so the families who have chosen them can send their children ✅to a school of their choice,” said Ann Powell, the top spokeswoman for Success Academy.
The 52-page legal challeꦿnge contends that the Department of Education failed to consider the impact of the state’s new law capping class sizes when approving the charters — and that the regulations will require more space in DOE schools, meanin♓g the charters would not fit.
Charter schools are legally allowed to occupy vacant spac♓𒊎e in Department of Education buildings and have done so for years.
Manhattan Sꦰupreme Court Justice Lyle Frank told the courtroom that he planned to rule quickly in the case, but did not provide more detail as to when h🗹e would issue his decision, several people in attendance said after the hearing wrapped up.
The law, which limits the number of students in class🉐es fro🍨m kindergarten to 12th grade, can sidestep regulations due to lack of space, “over-enrolled” programs, a shortage of licensed teachers and schools in “severe economic distress.”
The union has been previously accused of hypocrisy in charter school wars when University Prep Midd𝔍le School — a charter co-founded by Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers and former head of its local affiliate UFT — was grantedꦡ more space in a city building in April.
All told, the UFT and anti-charter school allies have filed more than a dozen lawsuits against Success over the past decade. Noꦯne have been successful.
“The Department of Education’s failure to compꦅly with the law is a grave disservice to the public,” said Laura Barbieri, with the pro-UFT group Advocates෴ for Justice.
