NYC charter school network gets state approval to expand

An influential charter school network in New York City received a green light from the state Wednesday to expand by more than one-third, raising the ire of critics who say Success Academy Charter Schools divert resources from traditional public schools.

The State University of New York approved 14 new Success Academy charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately operated, growing the network to 50 schools.

The unanimous vote by the charter schools committee of SUNY's board of trustees sparked fresh acrimony between those who say charter schools give parents more choice in public education and those who say taxpayer-funded resources should be focused on the traditional public schools that serve 93 percent of city students.

"There is clearly tremendous demand from parents for high-quality schools in New York City with the applications far exceeding the number of available seats in our schools," Success Academy chief executive Eva Moskowitz said in a statement.

Traditional public school parents and City Council members at a Manhattan rally asserted that Success Academy gets more space and funding than it needs while other schools face chronic overcrowding.

"This is about accountability, and this is about creating better public schools," said Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Queens). Councilman Alan Maisel (D-Brooklyn) said charter schools "cherry-pick" high-performing students.

Success Academy spokesman Whit Clay said critics' data showing charter enrollment is too low to warrant expansion is "woefully out of date and does not reflect the current reality of charter schools."

Moskowitz and Mayor Bill de Blasio locked horns during his campaign and early in his tenure because he wanted to charge rent to charter schools housed in city-owned buildings and pushed a moratorium on co-locations, or space sharing.

But a state law in April backed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo forces the city to give charter schools free space or cover their rents. De Blasio has yet to release his policy on co-location, but spokesman Wiley Norvell said it will come soon.