Statement from NYC Charter School Center CEO James Merriman on Today’s New York City Independent Budget Office Report
NEW YORK – Please attribute the following statement to James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center, on today’s New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO) report:
“The IBO’s update of its study from five years ago makes one thing crystal clear: Not only has no progress been made in closing the overall funding gap between charter schools and traditional district schools, it has increased more than five-fold*, which is outrageous. While the advent of rental assistance will help to some degree over the coming years to close that gap to some degree, this report underlines the urgent need to take steps to correct and improve funding for charter schools and the students they serve so that the gap is not just narrowed but erased for once and for all.”
* As a weighted average across both charter schools that are co-located and those that are in private space, charter schools receive $1,400 less per pupil than students in traditional district schools.
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