Teachers Union, Green Dot to form charter high school

A new charter high school is coming to the South Bronx - if the teachers' union and a Los
Angeles firm have their way.

The United Federation of Teachers and Green Dot, a noted charter-school operator in
southern California, have teamed up to start the Green Dot New York Charter School.

"We wanted to find sponsors who understand that teachers are a key ingredient of school
reform and who put programs and practices in place to support teachers," said UFT
President Randi Weingarten. "Green Dot has a great track record [for that]."

The UFT initiated talks about the new school after the state Legislature raised the cap on
the creation of new charter schools last April. The new allowance called for 100 additional
programs, including 50 to be awarded by the State University of New York Board of
Trustees.

The trustees approved eight new charter schools on Oct. 26 - three in Manhattan, two in
Brooklyn, one in Queens, one in upstate Troy and the Green Dot application.
Final approval from the state Board of Regents is expected in the coming months.

If approved, the Green Dot New York Charter School will begin next September with 100
students in the ninth grade and will eventually expand to include all high school grades.
Class sizes are to be capped at 25 students.

"We want to build the best public high school in New York," said Green Dot founder Steve
Barr.

Green Dot operates 12 public charter high schools in Los Angeles' highest-need
communities and boasts a 98% graduation rate with 78% of seniors going on to fouryear
universities.

Barr attributed Green Dot's successes to keeping schools small (enrollment is limited to
500 students each), fostering high expectations of students and its ability to create
environments where teachers have a real say in the school's day-to-day operations.

"Teachers have got to be in a small school system where they can get to know every kid
and generate trust," Barr said. "Teachers also need ownership, to feel valued. That
sounds simple, but it's very unique in public education, where, in general, everything is
top down."

Another plus of the partnership, Weingarten added, was that Green Dot encourages
teachers to unionize.  "Many charter-school operators have been aggressively anti-union," she said. "Green
Dot, on the other hand, encourages its teachers to unionize, which shows its commitment
to fair treatment, fair pay and a teacher voice in the workplace."