CEO Eva Moskowitz Rallies Success Academy Staff for Charter School Advocacy

Welcome and Mission Overview

• 💡 Eva Moskowitz welcomes 158 new teachers to Success Academy, emphasizing that teaching is a dynamic profession involving data analytics, public speaking, and people management.
• 🚀 The network office is designed to support educators by handling tasks like curriculum development, finance, and technology, allowing teachers to focus on students and parents.
• 🎯 Success Academy has a dual mission: to educate students exceptionally well and to advocate for public policies that improve education for all children.

Addressing Policy Threats

• ⚠️ The organization is facing significant policy and political risks, which Moskowitz describes as an existential threat.
• ✊ Success Academy has a history of confronting political challenges and will mobilize to advocate for children and families.
• 🗣️ The CEO stresses the importance of government working for the people, requiring active pressure and advocacy.

Mobilization and Expectations

• 📢 A march across the Brooklyn Bridge is planned, alongside a phone-to-action campaign aiming to send 2 million messages to elected officials.
• 📉 Moskowitz expresses disappointment that only 25% of network staff participated in the initial phone-to-action campaign, highlighting a potential lack of understanding of the risks involved.
• 🏛️ She recounts a past experience where Mayor Bill de Blasio closed three high-performing schools, underscoring the real and severe consequences of political opposition.

Performance Standards and Directives

• 📋 Network staff are reminded that when given a directive by their boss, they are expected to complete the task unless it's unethical or a matter of conscience.
• ⏰ The CEO emphasizes resourcefulness, rejecting excuses like living in New Jersey for not completing tasks, and stresses the importance of accountability and professionalism.
• 🏢 Network staff are expected to adhere to dress codes and hybrid work policies, with managers holding individuals accountable to an extraordinary standard of performance.

Call to Action and Union Stance

• 📱 All staff are urged to immediately complete the phone-to-action campaign, which takes approximately five seconds per message.
• 🤝 Success Academy deliberately remains non-unionized, believing that collaboration between management and labor benefits children.
• 🎓 The organization hires based on merit rather than tenure, offering higher salaries and greater freedom to teach compared to the district system.