Third City Charter School Moves Forward

The third charter school planned by the city teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers, is moving forward in its application process, a spokesman for the union told The New York Sun yesterday.

If approved by the State University of New York, which is reviewing applications from many different groups now, the charter school will be a partnership with a Los Angeles-based charter school network. The group, Green Dot, has quarreled with the Los Angeles teachers' union over its teacher contract, negotiated with a different union comprised only of Green Dot teachers.

The contract takes a more flexible stance on issues such as tenure than the main L.A. union, which is part of the same national union, the American Federation of Teachers, as New York City's UFT.

Another charter school applicant, the Brooklyn Prospect Charter School, has been contacted by SUNY with a recommendation that it not move forward, its founder, Daniel Rubenstein, said.

SUNY is one of several groups that can authorize charter schools in the city. None have yet made public which charter school applicants they will approve.