Every time a developer sees a "low performing school" in a poor or working class neighborhood, they see an opportunity for profit if the school can be closed- either by handing the building over to a charter school or converting it into luxury housing. In every large city in this country, from New Orleans, to Chicago, to DC, to Philly to Buffalo, to NYC, school reform has been linked togentrification, with politicians supporting the "reforms" getting huge contribution from developers, hedge fund managers, and private equity firms.
The latest example of this comes from the Bronx, where Montefiore Hospital is forging links to charter schools while promoting luxury hosing in the neighborhood it is located in, all with the full support of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who gets financial support from the charter school lobby.
Connections between developers, school reformers, greedy politicians and charter schools can be found in every major city. Expose them and if you can, bring those fighting gentrification together with those defending public education, because they have the same enemies and many of the same goals.
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