Council Member Stephen Levin announced today that he is calling for a moratorium on the opening of all charter schools in New York City. The announcement follows the release of the city’s executive budget, which includes a $210 million, or 25 percent, increase in funding for charter schools.

The growth in spending on charter schools is 200 percent more than expected. In the city’s preliminary budget, charter schools were proposed to grow by $70.9 million, or 8.6 percent, from Fiscal Year 2013 to a total of $899.3 million for Fiscal Year 2014. The Mayor’s executive budget, however, increases funding for charters schools by $210 million – a difference of $140 million, or 200 percent, from the preliminary budget. Levin will be introducing a City Council resolution that would put a moratorium in place on the opening of all charter schools in New York City.
“The executive budget released yesterday is further proof that charter spending is out of control,” said Council Member Stephen Levin. “An increase of 200% from the preliminary to executive budget shows that the cost to taxpayers in order to finance charter schools is only going to continue to increase.”

“To increase funding for charter schools by 25% in a single year, at a time when the executive budget calls for the decimation of programs that New York City children, families, and seniors depend on, is outrageous. Given these astonishing numbers, I am calling for a moratorium on the opening of all charter schools in New York City.”

(YWN Desk – NYC)