On Tuesday, hundreds of parents, children and educators took to the steps at City Hall to rally for the charter school cap to be lifted in New York City. Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced plans to lift the current cap, but has been met with opposition. Many legislatures alongside the teacher’s union are not in support of lifting the cap, and Mayor Eric Adams has complained about the additional cost of lifting the cap on the city—saying that the state should help foot the bill.
Hochul’s plan is not to lift the overall cap, but to eliminate regional caps—allowing NYC to utilize unused charters upstate to open more here in the city. Proponents of charter schools like that since many charter schools are non-union, giving them more flexibility in terms of curriculum, which can be tailored to fit their students. Students of charter schools often have standardized exam scores that are higher than local district public schools. On the flipside, critics feel that they take away funding and space from public schools. Read more here.
