No, Politico New York, TFA Moving Offices Is NOT ‘Evidence of Decline’
Clarification, 4:55pm: The following information has been updated for better clarity to distinguish between the content in the Politico New York Education newsletter and the referenced TFA article.
This morning, we received an interesting piece of news through Politico New York Education. One of the top headlines in today’s newsletter revolves around Teach for America and the surprising announcement of an office relocation.
To elaborate:
TRACKING EDUCATION: There is further proof of Teach for America’s decline in New York City: "SL Green has sold its portion of a commercial condominium at 315 West 36th Street for $115 million, more than double the $45 million it paid when acquiring the property three years ago. The building used to house Teach for America, but their lease has been terminated, and they have signed a new long-term lease with the office-sharing company WeWork." – Sally Goldenberg, POLITICO New York
While it is evident that the author of the newsletter has a negative opinion about TFA, we find it difficult to understand how a real estate sale and office move in New York City can be interpreted as the "decline" of a national organization.
TFA officials were taken aback by the negative tone of the email, stating that the move was primarily aimed at promoting collaboration among staff members: "Our national and regional staff were spread across two midtown buildings, which was ineffective and hindered collaboration," explains Massie Ritsch, TFA’s Executive Vice President of Public Affairs. "Therefore, we negotiated a new lease in the downtown area that brings all our employees together and also saves us approximately 30% in rent."
The Seventy Four also reached out to a junior staff member at Teach For America, someone who has experience working in both the old and new offices. Their feedback was positive: "The new workspace is not smaller, but it is definitely a better environment to work in."
Of course, Teach for America is not the only organization that has relocated in a major city this year. Politico, for instance, recently moved to a more prestigious location in Washington D.C. However, we don’t recall any articles suggesting that this move signaled the downfall of the organization. Although, it is possible that we missed it.
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