Professor Says School Policy Is Unclear
By Lisa Fleisher
A prominent academic has resigned from the State University of New York Board of Trustees amid what he called the increasing political tension over the shifting role of charter schools across the state.
New York University professor Pedro Noguera, who held a powerful position on the 17-member board that approves charter schools, said Wednesday he believed the schools had evolved beyond their original mission: offering an alternative to failing public schools in impoverished neighborhoods.
Instead, he said, many have become unnecessary rivals to established suburban and improving urban schools.
Mr. Noguera said he met with SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and Board of Trustees ChairmanH. Carl McCall in December to express his concerns but didn’t receive a clear answer. He had been appointed to the board by former Gov. David Paterson in 2008 and was chairman of the committee that made recommendations to the larger board over whether to approve individual charter schools.
“It’s not clear to me what’s the larger strategy here, other than the political one,” he said. “What I see happening is a deliberate attempt to create competition between public and charter schools, but it’s an uneven playing field.”
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