Phila.'s New Media charter school contends it's not a public school
A Philadelphia charter school fighting a unionizing effort is trying to break legal ground by contending that it is not a public school - even though it's funded entirely by taxpayers.
The move by New Media Technology Charter School, which receives more than $5 million in public money annually to educate 450 students, is drawn from the playbook of a charter in Chicago that is part of a controversial network of Turkish-run charter schools.
The Chicago Mathematics and Science Academy Charter School - one of 120 schools nationwide inspired by the teachings of Turkish imam Fethullah Gulen - asserted in papers filed with the National Labor Relations Board that it is not a public school or "a political subdivision" of the state of Illinois. If it prevails, it would be exempt from a state law that permits charter staff to unionize.