At a crowded open board meeting last night, the trustees of Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS apparently denied accepting that the teachers’ union DCACTS is now representing its teachers. This, despite the claim by DCACTS that 80 percent of the instructional staff (90 employees) have signed union authorization cards. Christian Herr, the Chavez PCS teacher behind that school’s effort to create a collective bargaining unit, stated on Twitter:

“The board @MundoVerdePCS has an opportunity to be forward thinking and progressive- but sadly they are following the playbook of @ChavezSchools – fighting and delaying- you could do so much better- you could be so much better.”

So now the fight moves on to the National Labor Relations Board. The question that needs to be asked, with this effort by misguided staff and parents to destroy a high-performing charter school, is where is the DC Public Charter School Board in this battle? Where is FOCUS?

Here is a sample of the testimony last night that was offered as part of the public comment period of the meeting, according to the union:

“Kindergarten teacher Andrea Molina @MundoVerdePCS shouts out extended day team- they are advocating for better pay and translation assistance when they interact with HR. They need supplies to be able to do their job.”

“Victor is forming a #union at @MundoVerdePCS because he cannot meet his students needs when admin ignores his requests for supports and resources.”

“Kindergarten teacher @MundoVerdePCS Gabriela tells board that her class size has risen each year she has been here. Over 25 kindergarteners in her class- when she approached administration they said they were packing kids in her class because students in higher grades leaving.”

“Data manager Joe Brophy explains why he is supporting a #union “there is no transparency- and there needs to be.”

Information was provided to me last evening that the American Federation of Teachers is set to spend tens of thousands of dollars to infiltrate the charter movement in the nation’s capital. Where are the brave men and women who will stand up for school choice? This is a defining moment in education reform. If we lose, then we are turning our backs on the hundreds of low-income children that were abandoned by the traditional schools decades ago.

The silence out there is really deafening.