Mayor Bill de Blasio's big win in Albany last week was also a quiet win for charter schools. Education Reporter Lindsey Christ has new details on the mayoral control deal.
An off-the-books charter school deal between de Blasio and State Senate Republicans paved the way for the mayor to win control over city schools for another two years.
The de Blasio administration waited a week to disclose details of the arrangement, which includes allowing nearly two dozen additional charter schools to open in the city, while making it easier for existing charters to get space in public buildings or reimbursed for private space.
Charter advocates praised the arrangement. "This deal will benefit all kids across New York City," said Jenny Sedlis of StudentsFirstNY. "Parents will have access to more great school options, and charter school operators will now be able to return their focus to the classroom."
But charter school critics immediately slammed the concessions, saying the deal will funnel more resources away from the public school system to the privately-managed charters.
"I don't think this should have been tied to mayoral control," said Shino Tanikawa, a parent leader and activist. "It has nothing to do with mayoral control. It should have been debated separately and independently."
When de Blasio ran for mayor, he promised to curb the influence of charter schools, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Albany Republicans have instead helped charters actually gain more funding and legal protections over the past three years, including with this latest deal.
"As a result of Albany leaders' insistence, the mayor agreed to some important changes," Sedlis said.
There are 216 charter schools in the city, and under current state law only 23 more can open.
But de Blasio agreed to allow 22 additional charters to open their doors, replacing schools that closed or never opened in the first place.
De Blasio also agreed to quickly fulfill requests for building upgrades, give charter school students MetroCards when their schools operate in the summer, and to streamline the process for charters to request rent reimbursement from the city.