The following was sent to the Board of Trustees, State University of New York, Charter School Institute, Purchase, NY.

Now that the State University of New York Board of Trustees and the Charter School Institute have formally notified the Glen Cove City School District Board of Education of the proposed "Leonard A. Covello Charter School" application, the Coalition to Oppose Charter Schools in Glen Cove would like to present to you a brief position paper. Also attached are over 1,000 signatures from residents of Glen Cove and those residing within a 15-mile radius. Included with the position paper and petitions are a sampling of published "letters to the editor," editorials and articles from two local newspapers and the New York Times.

The Coalition to Oppose Charter School(s) in Glen Cove would like the State University of New York Board of Trustees to note that our community and the surrounding communities within a 15-mile radius are vehemently opposed to the recently submitted application for the "Leonard A. Covello Charter School" in Glen Cove. It is our hope that you accept this and other demonstrations as an overwhelming lack of community support for any charter school, but particularly for this proposed charter school, which projects the perception of being elitist or sectarian in nature.

We make many choices in a capitalistic society which most of us do many times a day throughout all aspects of our lives. Choice is the foundation of our great democracy. However, the freedom of choice is sometimes misunderstood. Some individuals and corporations forget that the choices they make can infringe on some of the other wonderful things our Constitution grants us as citizens of these United States. The Coalition to Oppose Charter Schools in Glen Cove believes that while the "Leonard A. Covello Charter School" may offer some parents a choice it is at the same time, infringing on the rights of other taxpayers. If this charter school is approved, the per pupil cost for each student would be taken from the school district's operating budget and given to the charter school with no financial oversight by the public school board of education.

Instead of using public monies to encourage cultures to learn to live and work together for the greater good of the society, it encourages separation. Our Constitution gives us the freedom to keep each of our foreign cultures alive by encouraging us to create private schools and places of worship. Our Constitution gives us the freedom to teach our children the language and culture of our ancestors. Our Constitution allows us the freedom to send our children to privately funded schools that offer a curriculum suited to individual children, cultures and religions.

The Coalition to Oppose Charter School(s) in Glen Cove cannot allow individuals, under the guise of school choice, to infringe on the rights of their fellow citizens. The proposed "Leonard A. Covello Charter School" in Glen Cove is infringing on our Constitutional right [as] "taxation without representation" and is proposing a secular curriculum that infringes on "separation of church and state." Most of all, the Glen Cove School District is meeting the needs of the students in the district. All students in the 12th grade graduated this year with 90 percent of the graduating class going on to higher education. The remaining 10 percent either went on to learn a trade or enlist in the United States Armed Services.

New York state has the highest standards in the nation. Charter schools have the potential to do severe damage to regular public schools in New York state. These damaging effects can stem from issues of finance, education, law and accountability. The proposed "Leonard A. Covello Charter School," if approved, will literally cripple the Glen Cove City School District that is currently operating on an "austerity" budget.

From the little research that has surfaced on charter school experimentation, especially involving the Edison Schools, there have been more failures reported than successes. A case in point is the recent Albany fiasco. University studies conducted in California and Michigan have found that charter schools cannot do more with less, both academically and fiscally. The public schools in New York state have many checks and balances as well as high standards. It would be wise to invest our tax dollars in improving these schools where necessary.

Severely eroding the funding of the regular public schools will not significantly lower their operating expenses. In fact, it will do just the opposite. Children will not necessarily be taken out of one class, but a few students from many classes. The district will still have to maintain the teacher from each of those classes. Budgeted expenses for transportation and infrastructure will remain at the same level. However, books for the charter school, which are paid for by the Glen Cove School District, will cost more because the Edison Schools require books that do not adhere to the regular public school curriculum.

In a community such as Glen Cove, homeowners and landlords pay school taxes directly to the public school. The homeowners and landlords will be forced to pay higher school taxes in order to maintain the status quo. Students currently enrolled in private and/or parochial schools may transfer to the charter school, thereby initiating an additional cost to public schools in order to fund these students. The schedule of payments from public schools to charter schools (six equal payments starting in July) does not correspond with state aid payments and tax revenues. Districts that are greatly dependent on state aid will be disproportionately affected. Charter schools can close suddenly, leaving the public school to pick up all the pieces. This could include debt incurred for new construction. The proposed "Leonard A. Covello Charter School" has hired the Edison Schools as managers. They are a "for-profit" corporation that clearly states that if they do not show a profit, they will give up their management of the school.

All Edison schools throughout the country use the same off-the-shelf reading and mathematics curricula. The reading curriculum is called "Success for All" that was developed at Johns Hopkins University. The mathematics curriculum is called "Everyday Mathematics" that was developed at the University of Chicago. Both curricula are aimed at children at risk. Such limited curricula does not allow integration with the regular public school curricula. Students receive 90 minutes per day of fundamentals of reading and 60 minutes of mathematics in grades K-5. Core courses such as art, music, language and physical education are not included in the Edison School schedule. The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) mandates that children should be educated in a Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) with certified teachers. The "Leonard A. Covello Charter School" falls short in this area and may be in violation of federal and state mandates. Their rigid curricula used by the managing "for profit" Edison Corporation is designed for students at risk. They do not mention any other curriculum and teachers are not permitted to deviate from the script. All Edison teachers must use these programs. Any innovation or deviation from the prescribed curricula is not allowed.

The Edison School's staff development is central throughout the country. Teachers can only attend Edison School conferences. They are isolated from new innovations happening daily throughout the states and are not encouraged to participate in "action research" where innovation is key. Inevitably, Edison Schools will employ less able teachers and experience a large turnover rate compared to regular public schools. Up to 30 percent of the teachers do not have to be certified and teachers working outside their area of certification are not counted in the 30 percent.

Legislation does not hold charter schools to the same accountability as the regular public schools. Local districts may inspect and forward evidence of non-compliance to "the appropriate board." The only reporting requirement appears to be an annual report submitted by the charter school. Charter schools are left to their own devices, good or bad.

How can anyone believe that allowing a corporation without a pedagogical background, whose aim is to make a profit, will result in better education for children? The combination of non-educators who do not have to adhere to state regulations combined with uncertified teachers provides potential for disaster. Available research indicates that charter schools have a very loose accountability structure for educational results and finances. There are no credible data supporting the contention that charter schools will improve education. In fact, they have a mixed track record of success.

Legislation does not address the issue that profit-making organizations may establish a charter school. Public funds raised by local taxpayers can be diverted unconstitutionally to non-public, profit-making organizations under the guise of a public school. The New York State Legislature presents a dichotomy by implementing charter schools in this Empire State. They believe, by their actions, that the success of charter schools is directly linked to freedom from the very statutory mandates and regulations which the Legislature themselves have enacted. If these repressive regulatory and legislative controls are to blame or hindering schools' attempts at improvement, they should be eliminated for the public schools as well as the charter schools. The governor and the Legislature in New York state should hold charter schools to the same standards as regular public schools, otherwise their rationale is invalid and suspect.

The Coalition to Oppose Charter Schools in Glen Cove strongly suggests that the State University of New York Board of Trustees take the community opposition seriously when reviewing the proposed "Leonard A. Covello Charter School" application. The Coalition is supported in its opposition to any charter school in our city by the superintendent of schools, Dr. Mary Ellen Freely, the majority of our school board members, Mayor Tom Suozzi, State Assembly Member David S. Sidikman and for this particular charter school, State Senator Carl L. Marcellino.

Glen Cove is a diverse community with active cultural organizations that have not endorsed the "Leonard A. Covello Charter School." This includes the Italian community - the community particularly targeted for this charter school.

Public schools have been the means of bringing people of all cultures together to teach them about their differences and similarities. Public schools are a place where students learn to respect each other regardless of their backgrounds and culture. Charter schools do little to promote that concept and in reality provide little more than a physical setting to segregate students and stress their differences.