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Charter schools' expansion becomes key battle in NY budget negotiations
By
Jessica Gould
Published Mar 29, 2023
Modified Mar 30, 2023
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Spencer Platt/Getty Images
By
Jessica Gould
Published Mar 29, 2023
Modified Mar 30, 2023
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The expansion of charter schools in New York has become a central issue in Albany this year as Gov. Kathy Hochul and lawmakers battle over the state’s budget, which is due April 1.
Hochul wants the Legislature to lift a regional cap that would free up licenses held by now-closed charter schools in New York City. If passed in the final budget, the change would allow up to 108 new charter schools to open in the city.
Hochul earlier this month told reporters the change is necessary because some charter schools have lengthy waitlists. “There's a groundswell of support” for charter schools, she said. “Children deserve to have options.”
Lawmakers in the state Senate and Assembly have so far pushed back on the governor’s proposal, and omitted the change in their joint budget response earlier this month. Opponents of the governor’s proposal argue that new charter schools could lead to declines in enrollment — and therefore funding — for traditional public schools.
“They’re all nonstarters,” state Sen. John Liu said of the governor’s proposals to remove the regional cap and allow so-called ‘zombie’ charter licenses to be revived. “Choice exists already. There are plenty of vacancies in charter schools as there are in [traditional] public schools.”
But with the state budget deadline looming, groups on both sides of the charter school issue have launched a media and lobbying blitz with protests, press conferences and school tours.
NAACP New York President Hazel Dukes held a rally against charter schools at the state Capitol on Tuesday. Around the same time, Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of the late Malcolm X, joined a rally to support lifting the cap on charter schools.
"Parents, educators, and community leaders are very clear that they do not want more charter schools opening and draining resources from their local public schools,” said Michael Mulgrew, the head of the United Federation of Teachers, in a statement.
James Merriman, CEO of the NYC Charter School Center, said the governor’s proposal would give more parents and children a chance to attend their desired schools.
“Lawmakers can and should advance an education agenda centered around equity and expanding access to good schools,” said Merriman. “We strongly urge them to listen to the voices of NYC families who want nothing more than an opportunity for their kids.”
During a tour last Friday at C.S. 55 in the Bronx, where a traditional public elementary school shares a building with Success Academy Charter school, charter school critics said allowing more charters to open would exacerbate the enrollment decline at city-run public schools.
Lower enrollment led to major budget cuts at many schools last year.
“Why on Earth do we raise the cap now?” said Zakiyah Ansari, advocacy director at the Alliance for Quality Education. “There’s no reason to do it.”
Charter schools in the city now serve just under 140,000 students, compared to more than 900,000 in traditional public schools.
While total enrollment at city-run schools has fallen in recent years, charter school enrollment overall is up slightly. The overall increase at charters is largely due to schools that have added grades. Many individual charters have actually seen enrollment decrease, similar to city-run schools, Chalkbeat New York has reported.
Antonia Ferraro, a traditional public school parent and member of the District 15 Community Education Council, said adding charters would increase competition with city-run schools and among charter schools themselves.
“It’s one system that’s all competing for the same students,” she said.
But Kesha Bright, whose son attends a KIPP charter school in the Bronx, said she pulled her kids out of the public schools because they weren’t happy. Bright said she probably would have left the city if not for the nearby charter school.
“I think opening up more schools will give parents more options for good schools, especially in Black and brown communities,” said Bright. “Especially in certain neighborhoods, you really don’t have a choice of what school your child will go to.”
Tensions over the role of charter schools in the city’s public education landscape have flared in recent months.
Over the winter, parents clashed over a series of proposed Success Academy co-locations.
Then on Tuesday, the United Federation of Teachers, along with parents and an educator, sued the city, alleging officials “misled” parents and the public late last year as they pushed to allow two Success Academy charter schools in Brooklyn and Queens to share space with public schools.
The union argues the co-locations will make it impossible for the schools to comply with a new law requiring smaller class sizes, and is calling for an injunction.
Some education activists fear that Mayor Eric Adams will be friendly to charters, similar to former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is a charter advocate and financial backer. Bloomberg has also helped pay for ads boosting Hochul’s agenda, the New York Times reported last week.
As the deadline for the state budget approaches, lobbyists told Gothamist they are watching for a possible compromise.
Some lawmakers have proposed an alternative to Hochul’s proposal, introducing legislation that would allow more charter schools to open if they are led by people of color.
State Sen. Luis Sepulveda, who attended the press conference and tour at C.S. 55 in the Bronx on Friday, said he supports independent charter schools that have Latino, Black or Asian leaders, as opposed to larger networks like Success.
“These are independent schools… that I believe have more of a cultural awareness of what children in these communities go through and give them an opportunity,” Sepulveda said.
Lawmakers could also split part of the proposal and grant “zombie” licenses to new operators from charter schools that have closed. That could pave the way for more than 20 schools to open in the city, far fewer than the 108 that could open under Hochul’s proposal.
Tagged
new york city
education
Politics
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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