For Immediate Release: January 13, 2025
Contact: Ariel Sussman / asussman@skdknick.com / 978-807-7950

MAYOR ADAMS SIGNS CRITICAL SCHOOL SAFETY FUNDING BILL INTO LAW

Legislation Spearheaded by Council Member Justin Brannan Will Fix Long Overdue Inequities in School Security Funding for Tens of Thousands of NYC Students

(NEW YORK) –  Today, New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed Intro 532a-2024 into law, which will provide critical funding for security guards to public charter schools located in private spaces. The legislation – which fixes an inequity that previously excluded 73,000 public charter school students in more than 193 schools from accessing school safety funding – was spearheaded by Council Member and Finance Chair Justin Brannan and overwhelmingly passed by City Council in December.

“No school should have to choose between keeping students safe and investing in their education – and thanks to this legislation, they won’t, ” said James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center. “This is a win for safety, a win for students, and a win for families – we’re grateful to Council Member Brannan for championing this critical bill, and to Mayor Adams for signing it into law today. Thanks to the Council’s leadership, hundreds of schools across the city will no longer have to pull funding from critical education programming in order to keep their students safe.”

For years, public charter schools located in private facilities were the only schools in NYC excluded from receiving reimbursement for their security guards – historically even private/non-public schools and yeshivas were able to access these public safety funds. The excluded charter schools had been forced to pull funding from their broader education budgets in order to keep their students safe.

This exclusion exacerbated the funding inequities that exist for many charter schools, with the most recent Independent Budget Office report demonstrating a per pupil funding gap of approximately $4,800 for charter schools in private facilities that do not receive rental assistance as compared to district schools.

“We’re proud to call Harlem home – and Harlem public charter students deserve the same level of funding for school safety that their peers receive. Thanks to the leadership of Council Member Brannan and the New York City Council, they finally will.” said Kristan Norgrove, Executive Director of Global Community Charter School.