In an opinion piece for the New York Daily News, Eva Moskowitz, the founder and CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools, claims that charter schools in New York City are being unfairly smeared before this fall's mayoral election. With Mayor Bloomberg leaving office at the end of the year, every Democratic candidate vying to replace him has accused these charter schools of receiving favorable treatment. Moskowitz says these claims are false and are part of a larger effort to push back against the growing City support for charter schools:
"Every year, more New Yorkers have children in charter schools or know someone who does. They are coming to understand the value of parent choice. This has brought us closer to a tipping point at which charter schools are strongly supported by most New Yorkers and don’t depend on a handful of forward-looking elected officials."
Moskowitz blames the United Federation of Teachers for spreading myths about New York City's charter schools. With Bloomberg's departure fast approaching, the teachers union sees an opportunity to stop charter schools from continuning to open across the city. She writes in the New York Daily News:
"Perhaps the union will succeed in stopping some of our schools from opening. If so, that will be sad for the many students we had hoped to serve. But it's too late to stop the parent choice revolution that the Bloomberg administration has nurtured for 12 years.
"Whether the union likes it or not, New York City's next mayor will inherit a vibrant network of charter schools whose growth is unstoppable — and that New York's voters are increasingly embracing."
