NYC Public School Parents: Letter to SUNY board about Success Academy's proposed increase in management fees

NYC Public School Parents: Letter to SUNY board about Success Academy's proposed increase in management fees:

Letter to SUNY board about Success Academy's proposed increase in management fees

by Leonie Haimson

Eva Moskowitz credit: NY Post

UPDATE: Just heard that today, the SUNY committee tabled the proposed hike in fees.

April 24, 2012

Dear Chairman McCall, SUNY board of trustees and members of the SUNY charter committee:

I hope you have seen Juan Gonzalez’ article in today’s Daily News; “Public kept in dark about sweet deals for Success Charter Network schools.”

If not, it is reprinted in full below.  I urge you to disallow the proposed egregious hikes in the management fees of Success charters, and the abuse of public process involved in this rushed and secretive deal.

A 15% management fee is twice the average for a NYC CMO (7%) and close to the average of a for-profit Educational Management Organization (17%).  New charters run by EMOS are now banned, as I’m sure you are aware. Some CMOs, including the Harlem Children Zone, charge no management fees at all. The independent study that shows this is