NYC BUMPING UP AGAINST ARBITRARY CAP ON GREAT PUBLIC EDUCATION

NYC BUMPING UP AGAINST ARBITRARY CAP ON GREAT PUBLIC EDUCATION

Seven New Charter Schools Authorized for New York City; Only 23 Charters Left Under State-Mandated Limit

New York – As Albany continues to debate lifting or eliminating the arbitrary cap on charter schools, the New York State Board of Regents (“Regents”) voted yesterday to authorize the opening of three new public charter schools in New York City – a move that brings the City closer to running out of new charters to be issued. These new schools, combined with the four new NYC charters issued by the State University of New York Board of Trustees (“SUNY Trustees”) last week, leave only 23 new charter schools still available to be opened in NYC under the current cap.

At the current authorization rate, NYC will run out of remaining charters by the end of the 2017-18 school year. Additionally, given that it can take an independent charter school two to three years to launch, the looming cap will quickly discourage teams from starting the process – only adding to the nearly 48,000 children currently languishing on NYC charter school waitlists.

“Charter schools continue to be a proven and viable solution to the shortage of high quality public schools in New York City,” said James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center. “We need to trust the rigorous commitment to accountability shared by our State’s authorizers. Lifting the cap – while supporting the thorough vetting of new applicants – will provide more kids than ever with access to a great public education of their choice. There is no reason to keep a cap on quality.”

To learn more, check out the Charter Center’s “Lift the Cap” campaign or new “Lift the Cap” video.

###