(From the New York Daily News, October 2, 2009)
By RACHEL MONAHAN
A day after Mayor Bloomberg vowed on the campaign stump to open 100 more charter schools if reelected, leading charter advocates said there won’t be room for them unless more money is pumped into construction.
“A hundred more charter schools – the challenge there is just going to be space,” said New York Charter Schools Association‘s Peter Murphy.
“It’s going to take a facilities aid stream from the state,” he added.
Unlike public schools, charters don’t receive funding for facilities from the state. They must rely on finding space in public school buildings – or raising private dollars.
The mayor said there is more than $200 million in funding for charters, but that’s a 41% drop since the last capital plan five years ago, noted Democrats for Education Reform’s Joe Williams.
Two-thirds of charter schools now share space in public school buildings.
“Even if you could put all 200 [the mayor’s 100 plus those already open] in public school space, you’re going to need facilities funding to fix those places up and make them work for multiple school campuses,” said Harlem Success founder Eva Moskowitz.
City Controller William Thompson, Bloomberg’s rival in the upcoming election, questioned whether he could add more charters if there isn’t space or money available for them.
“I think we are seeing how political Mike really is,” said Thompson mayoral campaign spokesman Mike Murphy.
Bloomberg campaign spokesman Andrew Doba defended the mayor’s record.
“The mayor has made an unprecedented commitment to creating quality charter schools, including by providing them with capital funding and free space in district public schools,” Doba said.