“Charter schools are public schools that enhance and improve education opportunities for all New York's children and are proven effective. I am disappointed in Mayor de Blasio, and his administration. Charters [sic] schools are a vital and important part of the education equation, and must be part of the conversation when discussing the educational needs of our children. I hope that the Mayor and the Chancellor reconsider their opposition to charter schools and I will continue to work in Albany to ensure that students and parents have as many options as possible when it come to schools, and that includes charters.”
State Senator Golden’s statement above about charter schools is surprising and welcome — BUT, IF THAT’S ALL THERE IS, IT WILL BE BITTERLY DISAPPOINTING
State Senator Golden’s office put out the above “statement” in a release to the press and an item on the sate senator’s website on Friday ( See “STATEMENT OF SENATOR MARTY GOLDEN ON CHARTER SCHOOLS” – Posted by Martin J. Golden on Friday, February 28th, 2014 [http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/statement-senator-marty-golden-charter-schools]). I cannot even begin to list all the ways this “STATEMENT” comes up short. It is a nice expression of sentiment and very little more than that. In other words, it is a typical piece of warm, steamy Marty Goldenism. Given his genius, Beethoven was able to take even the simple four note theme of his 5th Symphony down to a one note theme — yes, briefly he was “Ludwig One Note” — but the key was “Given his genius...” After a few superficial toots about charters, Marty Golden basically has a no note theme.
Nonetheless, coming about a week after Golden’s semi-secret breakfast with our com-symp mayor we should be thankful for small favors. Also, given Golden's almost constant constant sniffing and huffing of UFT essences, any statement favoring charters is surprising.
As you can tell, I don't think Marty G's heart is in this, but I do hope that the state senator has something more substantial to offer concerning charters in the near future.
6 comments:
Golden has no opposition.
The Gangemi stuff is the Seddio fix.
The anti-Golden forces cannot depend on the Democrats, too many of then are looking for deals.
The opposition needs to come from the Brooklyn Republican Organization. The Brooklyn GOP's credibility and viability is on the line for some kind of real pushback following Golden's attack on the Brooklyn GOP's leadership in 2013.
Although he failed to install Tim Cochrane as his County Chairman at the 2013 GOP County Convention, Golden still maintains his direct control of the Republican part of the Brooklyn BOE through Simon Shamoun and other operatives at the Board. That means that Golden should have an better time with signatures in 2014 than he did in 2012. Nonetheless, that is still really Golden's biggest worry.
Any GOP candidate that might qualify as an opponent in the GOP primary is an existential threat to the entire Golden cabal, because such a candidate directly threatens Golden's already questionable signature gathering operation. Too few signatures means no more Golden, it's as simple as that.
Can someone please primary this dimwit - we need to get him out of his seat. I am a die hard Republican and would rather have a Democrat as State Senator than this washed up, ex-NYPD brown nose. Golden's private meeting with DeBlasio really did it for me - would not be surprised if DeBlasio is throwing a party at the Bay Ridge Manor soon!!!
The Bay Ridge Manor always did have an affiliation with the Democrat Party that did continue after Marty Golden took it over. Sal Albanese, the Democrat City Councilman before Golden, maintained an office there in the early Golden years --- then he wound up supporting Golden for the City Council.
It's a poorly written statement as well.
UPDATE & BACKFILL: THE “GEE, I WISH GOLDEN SAID IT LIKE THAT” EDITION
NYS Senate co-leader Dean Skelos has made much stronger and detailed statements about Mayor DeBlasio’s assault on certain charter schools than anything Golden had to say about any of it (See “Skelos vows to fight for city’s charter schools
By Carl Campanile, 3/3/14, NY Post [http://nypost.com/2014/03/03/senate-gop-leader-vows-to-fight-for-citys-charter-schools/]). Skelos was quoted in yesterday’s paper, as follows: “What the mayor is doing is unconscionable....Why would you pull the rug out from under a school whose students are achieving? To not allow them a path to continue is just wrong. It’s appalling.... In the past, the city closed low-performing schools and promoted achieving schools. Now we have a mayor who wants to close high-achieving schools and keep open low-achieving schools.”
Skelos also showed that he intended to handle the whole thing as an integral part of an overall education program; and that “support for charter schools needs to be part of the same legislative conversation as prekindergarten and overall school aid.” (See “Senate GOP Leader Dean Skelos Links Charter Schools To Pre-K And School Aid Discussions” by Glenn Blaine. 3/3/14, NY Daily News / Daily Politics [http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2014/03/senate-gop-leader-dean-skelos-links-charter-schools-to-pre-k-and-school-aid--1]).
This is how you express support --- not by the kind of minced words by State Senator Golden that are more appropriate to convey a mere constipated discomfort at what the mayor and his chancellor are obviously trying to pull.
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