NEW YORK CITY CHARTER SCHOOL CENTER APPLAUDS NYC COUNCIL FOR VOTING TO APPROVE CRITICAL SCHOOL SAFETY FUNDING
Legislation Spearheaded by Council Member Justin Brannan to Fix Long Overdue Inequities in School Security Funding; First-Ever Council Bill Expanding Resources to Charter Students
(NEW YORK) – The New York City Council today overwhelmingly passed Intro 532-2024 – critical legislation that will provide long overdue funding for security guards to public charter schools located in private spaces. This legislation – spearheaded by Council Member and Finance Chair Justin Brannan – fixes an inequity that previously excluded 73,000 public charter school students in more than 193 schools from accessing school safety funding.
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.
Thanks to the leadership of Council Member Brannon and years of advocacy from thousands of public charter students, families, and educators, the City Council passed Intro 532-2024 into law, which will include funding for public charter schools in private space and non-public schools that serve at least 150 students.
“Every student deserves to feel safe at school, without schools having to divert funding from education – and that’s exactly what this legislation will help accomplish,” said James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center. “We’re grateful to Council Member Brannan for championing this critical bill, and to the New York City Council for voting in favor of it today. Thanks to their leadership, this legislation will fix a long-overdue inequity in security funding for thousands of students, and ensure that schools can keep students safe in the classroom without having to sacrifice funding for after-school programs or student enrichment.”
“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.
“We’re beyond grateful to Council Member Brannan and all who voted for this critical bill – there is nothing more important than the safety of our students. This legislation will help ensure that we can continue to keep our students safe, without having to pull funding away from the classroom, said Karen Johnson, CEO of Coney Island Prep.
