The United Federation of Teachers, in a proposed amendment to a City Council resolution, today called for charter schools seeking free space in New York City public school buildings to be required to make public financial data and political donations, along with student demographics, suspension rates, and teacher and student attrition.

In testimony at a Council hearing on several resolutions concerning charter schools — resolutions that would recommend that Community Education Councils be given a veto on co-locations, institute a moratorium on new charter co-locations or mandate changes in how the DOE notifies parents about proposed co-locations or other significant changes in school utilization — UFT President Michael Mulgrew said, “If charters are really public schools, they need to be accountable to the public.”

Information that should be made public, Mulgrew said, included: the school’s plan to ensure that the co-location does not adversely affect other schools in the building; financial data for the school, its network or management company; political donations made by the school, its management company or board members; and academic results and enrollment policies of other schools operated either by the charter organization or its management firms, including demographic enrollment data, teacher and student attrition, and student disciplinary records by age, gender and special education status.

“Communities being asked to give up valuable public space deserve to know as much as possible about charters that want to move into their buildings, particularly charters with deep bank accounts, expensive pr firms and lobbyists, and executives making twice as much as — or more than — the Chancellor,” Mulgrew said.

Read Mulgrew's testimony »

The text of the resolution follows; the proposed UFT amendment is in caps.

PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO CITY COUNCIL RES. NO. 1263

Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to amend the State Education Law, in relation to mayoral control of the New York City public school system, by requiring that the respective Community Education Council approve a co-location or school closure/phase-out proposal before it may be presented for a vote by the Panel for Educational Policy.

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to amend the State Education Law, in relation to mayoral control of the New York City public school system, by requiring that the respective Community Education Council approve a co-location or school closure/phase-out proposal before it may be presented for a vote by the Panel for Educational Policy AND BY REQUIRING A CHARTER SCHOOL THAT THE CHANCELLOR PROPOSES BE CO-LOCATED WITH ANOTHER PUBLIC SCHOOL PROVIDE THE RELEVANT COMMUNITY EDUCATION COUNCIL, WITH ALL INFORMATION THE COMMUNITY EDUCATION COUNCIL BELIEVES IS RELEVANT TO DETERMINING WHETHER TO APPROVE THE CO-LOCATION AT THE TIME AND IN THE MANNER DIRECTED BY THE COMMUNITY EDUCATION COUNCIL, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO (1) THE REASON THE SCHOOL BELIEVES IT NEEDS SPACE IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING, (2) THE SCHOOL’S PLAN TO ENSURE THAT THE CO-LOCATION DOES NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT THE OTHER SCHOOL(S) IN THE BUILDING, (3) ANY FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE SCHOOL TO BE CO-LOCATED, ANY NETWORK OR MANAGEMENT COMPANY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SCHOOL TO BE CO-LOCATED, AND ANY OTHER SCHOOL OPERATED BY A NETWORK OR MANAGEMENT COMPANY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SCHOOL TO BE CO-LOCATED THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED TO AUDIT THEM CONSISTENT WITH GENERALLY ACCEPTED ACCOUNTING AND AUDITING PRACTICES, (4) THE POLITICAL ACTIVITIES, LOBBYING AND DONATIONS MADE OR RECEIVED BY THE SCHOOL TO BE CO-LOCATED, ANY NETWORK OR MANAGEMENT COMPANY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SCHOOL TO BE CO-LOCATED, ANY OTHER SCHOOL OPERATED BY A NETWORK OR MANAGEMENT COMPANY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SCHOOL TO BE CO-LOCATED OR ANY OF THEIR BOARD MEMBERS; AND (5) INFORMATION CONCERNING THE FINANCIAL AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF THE SCHOOL TO BE CO-LOCATED, ANY NETWORK OR MANAGEMENT COMPANY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SCHOOL TO BE CO-LOCATED, OR ANY OTHER SCHOOL OPERATED BY NETWORK OR MANAGEMENT COMPANY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SCHOOL TO BE CO-LOCATED INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE SCHOOLS’ FINANCIAL RECORDS, ACADEMIC RESULTS, ENROLLMENT POLICIES, ENROLLMENT DATA BY LEVEL OF NEED (E.G., NUMBER OF FREE-LUNCH FAMILIES, ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, AND SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS), TEACHER AND STUDENT ATTRITION AND STUDENT DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS BY RACE, GENDER, AND SPECIAL EDUCATION STATUS.