×

The Charter Effect: What Happens To State Aid?

A January rally in the state Capitol and the confirmation of Betsy Devos as U.S. Secretary of Education should be a clear signal that the discussion of charter schools and their role in New York’s education infrastructure isn’t going away anytime soon.

That doesn’t mean we envision charter schools flocking to Chautauqua County. Quite the contrary, the concern for rural counties like ours is that spending additional federal or state money on charter schools will decrease funding for public schools. That is exactly the concern over Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to increase the cap on charter schools in New York City and to change the state aid formula for state schools to better aid charter schools throughout the state.

A bill proposed by state Sen. Neil Breslin, an Albany-area Democrat, makes some sense given the current political landscape. Breslin has proposed a moratorium on charter school application approvals if it hasn’t been acted on by April 1 while charter schools that have had a charter approved but haven’t yet started school should have their charter revoked.

Any proposal to change state aid seems premature because no one knows yet what the federal government will do with charter schools. And both the federal and state governments must make sure action on charter schools doesn’t shortchange a public school system that is besieged by complaints that there already isn’t enough money to go around. Breslin’s moratorium provides time to have those discussions. It should be approved by both houses and signed by the governor.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today