FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3/4/10
CONTACT: David Nachtweih, 646-789-7685
STATEMENT FROM NYC CHARTER SCHOOL CENTER ON NEW YORK BEING NAMED A RACE TO THE TOP FINALIST
March 4, 2010 (NEW YORK) – The U.S. Department of Education announced the 16 finalists for first-round funding in the Race to the Top competition today, and New York State was one of the states named. The New York City Charter School Center released the below statement from its CEO James Merriman on this news.
“Today’s announcement is a credit to the strong reform agenda championed by Commissioner Steiner and the Board of Regents. Being named in the top third of Race to the Top applicants is an important step toward $700 million in much-needed federal funding, but the critical stage is still ahead. The President, the Secretary, and the Board of Regents have all called for two reforms that could make the difference in a tight race: lifting the artificial cap on charter schools and providing equity in charter school funding. Since there’s no prize money for finishing in sixteenth place, the state should act quickly to pass these reforms and bolster its chances of winning the competition.”
***Additional background***
The Charter Cap: Currently there are 19 charters left under the charter school cap, which is set at 200, with 13 applications under review and dozens more in the development “pipeline.” When the cap is met, charters will make up 4% of the state’s schools, far short of the 10% benchmark set forth in Race to the Top guidelines. (Last year more than 30,000 students were turned away from charter schools in New York City alone.)
Charter School Funding: Under the Race to the Top guidelines, a state must provide charter schools with equitable funding to be competitive. Last year, the charter school per-pupil funding formula was set aside and charter funding held frozen, even as district budgets rose. Governor Paterson’s current budget proposal would continue this freeze into next year, resulting in a two-year loss to charter schools of over $70 million in New York City alone.
3/4/10
CONTACT: David Nachtweih, 646-789-7685
STATEMENT FROM NYC CHARTER SCHOOL CENTER ON NEW YORK BEING NAMED A RACE TO THE TOP FINALIST
March 4, 2010 (NEW YORK) – The U.S. Department of Education announced the 16 finalists for first-round funding in the Race to the Top competition today, and New York State was one of the states named. The New York City Charter School Center released the below statement from its CEO James Merriman on this news.
“Today’s announcement is a credit to the strong reform agenda championed by Commissioner Steiner and the Board of Regents. Being named in the top third of Race to the Top applicants is an important step toward $700 million in much-needed federal funding, but the critical stage is still ahead. The President, the Secretary, and the Board of Regents have all called for two reforms that could make the difference in a tight race: lifting the artificial cap on charter schools and providing equity in charter school funding. Since there’s no prize money for finishing in sixteenth place, the state should act quickly to pass these reforms and bolster its chances of winning the competition.”
***Additional background***
The Charter Cap: Currently there are 19 charters left under the charter school cap, which is set at 200, with 13 applications under review and dozens more in the development “pipeline.” When the cap is met, charters will make up 4% of the state’s schools, far short of the 10% benchmark set forth in Race to the Top guidelines. (Last year more than 30,000 students were turned away from charter schools in New York City alone.)
Charter School Funding: Under the Race to the Top guidelines, a state must provide charter schools with equitable funding to be competitive. Last year, the charter school per-pupil funding formula was set aside and charter funding held frozen, even as district budgets rose. Governor Paterson’s current budget proposal would continue this freeze into next year, resulting in a two-year loss to charter schools of over $70 million in New York City alone.
