5 Comments

I am an avid reader of Historic.ly and have appreciated the usually solid reporting and challenging perspective. Saying that, in your otherwise important corrective about Bloomberg, you have conveyed some critical misinformation about charter schools. I co-Chair the Board of a Charter Management Organization (CMO) that manages a network of 15 schools in the most economically challenged neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Unlike your sweeping assertions in your Bloomberg piece, we are a non-profit, our schools are public schools, our students are admitted by lottery, we have a similar proportion of special Ed students as do the traditional public schools, and our students test scores are considerably above those of the traditional public schools in our neighborhoods and above those in the City as a whole and in the State. In our first high school graduating class last June, every one of our students was accepted at college. For quite similar per pupil costs, our students are receiving a liberal arts education if the highest quality with a warm and loving culture in a responsive classroom setting. I wish the highly politicized anti-charter push could be translated into learning from our success rather than attacking it. Frankly, I share much of what you wrote about Bloomberg, but you need not disseminate false facts about charters to make your case.

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Probably mostly true, but the problem is, who would be worse, a fossil fuel and NRA lackey or a very imperfect person who seems to be sincerely working on climate change mitigation and gun control (among other issues)? Just today Klobuchar dropped out and now we are left with Biden, Bernie, Bloomberg (at least until tomorrow) and (maybe) Warren (at least until tomorrow). Biden is often incoherent, has lost twice before (not to mention his at best weak agenda. Bernie probably will not get the nomination (Buttigieg and Klobuchar are throwing support to Biden), and then his supporters will not even vote. Bloomberg may be a moot point after tomorrow, but surely would be better than Trump. Bloomberg can actually get independents and maybe even some anti-Trump Repubs to vote for him. I just can't bear the thought of 4 more years.

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