Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislative leaders struck a tentative deal on charter schools during budget negotiations yesterday that would increase per-charter pupil spending statewide and force the City to provide rent assistance to charters. Per pupil funding would rise $1,100 over three years, starting with $250 the initial year, then $350 the next, and $500 the third. The boost would amount to an increase of about 3.4 percent. Also, the city would be forced to look for space for charters in public schools, or provide rent money for them to use in private spaces, which could cost up to $40 million a year. According to the deal, a third-party arbitrator would make a final ruling if the City and a charter school disagree over a co-location plan and the City would be barred from charging rent for space in public school buildings. The deal would also force the City to find space for the three Success Academy schools run by Eva Moskowitz whose co-locations were rolled back last month. The plan does not, however, offer building aid for charters to replace the $210 million in capital funding that Mayor Bill de Blasio recently diverted away from charters.
New at Gotham Gazette
Legislature Will Have Hard Time Silencing Moreland
Gotham Gazette's David King reports from Albany that State legislators are looking to defund the Moreland Commission on public corruption in the state budget, but that even if they are successful in doing so, the investigations being done by Moreland are likely to live on.
ICYMI at Gotham Gazette
Idle Time: City Car Owners Could Be In For A Shift
by Adam Wisnieski
Council Member Survey Says: How Should We Divide Our Money?
by Kristen Meriwether
Other Stories We're Following
De Blasio's Child Welfare Reforms Faliling, Officials Say (DNAinfo)
Council Sees Flawed Mental Health System On Rikers (NY Times)
Budget To Include $1.1 Billion For Schools (Journal News)
Queens Library Head Worked 30 Hour Week Second Job (Daily News)
City Jobless Rate Rises For First Time In Nearly Two Years (NY Times)
Complaints Mount In Council About Mark-Viverito (Capital)
Ambulances Take Nearly 10 Minutes To Get To Emergencies (NY Post)
Citi Bike Racks Sit Unused In Brooklyn Boondocks (NY Post)
Experts Bullish On Citi Bike (Wall Street Journal)
>New York State public schools are the most racially segregated in the nation, and New York City schools are largely to blame, according to a new report by the Civil Rights Project at the University of California at Los Angeles. In New York City, 19 of the city's 32 community school districts had elementary and middle schools with enrollments that were less than 10 percent white in 2010.
According to the report, New York City charter schools are the most segregated, with less than 1 percent white enrollment at 73 percent of charter schools. But some charter leaders argue that the sector can't win, that charter schools are already accused of trying to attract the most talented students. Charters typically give preference to students who live in the district where they're located and have traditionally been created in highly segregated, low income neighborhoods. The report suggests that the housing segregation of the city is at the root of most of the schools' segregation.
The report's authors argue that the city should offer parents an unscreened choice in choosing public schools. The current high school choice system, which uses entrance tests at top schools, excludes most black and Latino students. The city's Department of Education spokesman, Devon Puglia, brushed off the findings, saying officials "value the incredible diversity among our students."
New from Gotham Gazette
Council Member Survey Says: How Should We Divide Our Money?
An update on city council rules reform from Gotham Gazette's new city reporter Kristen Meriwether
ICYMI at Gotham Gazette
What's Next for East Midtown
an op-ed by Council Member Dan Garodnick
Beyond Pre-K: What Else is at Stake for NYC in the State Budget
by David King
Other Stories We're Following
Queens Assemblyman's Office Raided (Wall Street Journal)
City's Surplus Gets Even Bigger (Crain's)
Council To Address Death Of Inmate In Hot Cell (Associated Press)
Mayor Puts Charter Leaders On Co-Location Panel (NY Post)
Citi Bike System Successful, But Wobbly From Start (NY Times)
Cuomo Seeks Homelessness Impasse Resolution (Wall Street Journal)
City Growth Reversing Decades-Old Trend (NY Times)
Council Proposes 10-Cent Plastic Bag Fee (Associated Press)
Councilman Wants Schools To Offer Halal Lunches (Daily News)
Teacher Pension Transparency At Appeals Court (Albany Times Union)
Former Construction Aide Tapped For Sandy Rebuilding Effort (DNAinfo)
De Blasio Slow To Make Police-Oversight Appointment (Capital)
New Permit To Speed Demolition Of Sandy-Damaged Homes (DNAinfo)
MTA: We Don't Need Cuomo's $40 Million (Daily News)
>Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislative leaders may be close to a budget deal that provides $300 million in funding for New York City pre-kindergarten. Albany lawmakers stressed that no figure was settled yet, but Cuomo said the final number would depend on how much a municipality needed and capacity to spend, and then referred to the city asking for $300 million. The amount is $40 million less than Mayor Bill de Blasio has been seeking and does not necessarily create a dedicated annual funding source, which the mayor has been calling for. It appears that de Blasio's desired tax increase on the city's highest earners to pay for pre-K and middle school after-school programming will not be a part of the deal. De Blasio has said the city is ready to provide full-day pre-K for 53,000 kids by this September, and have 73,000 enrolled by year two. Rather than receiving the funds up front, a district will first have to spend money on pre-K and then seek reimbursement from the state. It's still unclear how much funding the city will receive in after-school funding.
Other Stories We're Following
Donors Funnel $28 Million To State Politicians (NY Post)
Mayor: ‘Miscommunication’ On Homeless With Gov (Wall Street Journal)
Lawmakers Approve 'National Popular Vote' Bill (Associated Press)
Silver: Charter Aid In Budget Limited To Money (Capital)
Rangel, Espaillat Battle Causes Rift Among Minority Legislators (NY Post)
Fired Officer's Complaint Adds Details To Rikers Death (NY Times)
Brooklyn Brewery Owner Suggests Park-Funding Solution (Capital)
Interfaith Medical Center Files Plan To Exit Bankruptcy (Crain's)
2 CNN Producers Held For Trespassing At WTC (NY Times)
NYPD To More Quickly Neutralize Shooting Suspects (Daily News)
Budget Talks Pull Governor Toward Left (Wall Street Journal)
City Plans Taxi Accessibility Surcharge (Associated Press)
>