Two Bronx Democrats are looking to help more than 27,000 New York City charter students who have been denied money for school facilities.
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Two Bronx Democrats are looking to help more than 27,000 New York City charter students who have been denied money for school facilities.
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CHARTER HELP: Two Bronx Democrats are looking to help more than 27,000 New York City charter students who have been denied money for school facilities.
Sen. Luis Sepúlveda and Assemblymember John Zaccaro Jr. unveiled legislation to ensure such pupils have equitable access to school funding.
“Every public school student deserves to have their school facilities funded — but today, our laws lock tens of thousands of students out of the equitable funding they deserve,” Sepúlveda said in a statement.
Under a 2014 law, many city charters can receive rental assistance if they do not receive co-located space. But the statute left out privately-located charters that reached capacity or established grades before the 2014-15 academic year.
Students in affected schools get nearly $5,000 less per pupil than traditional public school students. Black and Latino kids attending independent or small network community charters are adversely impacted by the discrepancy.
“Equitable facility funding is critical to ensuring all New York City students have the same opportunities to succeed in the classroom, and we urge Governor [Kathy] Hochul and the legislature to support this bill,” said James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center, an independent nonprofit that helps new and existing charters, in a statement. — Madina Touré
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