Charters rip city stall on school space

THE CITY MUST provide space for 27 new and growing charter schools that need classrooms, owners and advocates said.

More than two dozen of the privately run, publicly funded schools are waiting for the city to answer their requests for space, advocates with the charter lobby group Families for Excellent Schools said Monday.

Most of the schools need the space starting next year — including six from the city’s largest and fastest-growing charter network, Success Academy.

Speaking on a conference call with reporters, Success Academy CEO Eva Moskowitz said she believes the city has space for her schools.

“We’re on a tight timeline here. We requested the space more than five months ago, and we are waiting to hear where we can be sited,” Moskowitz said. State law compels the city to provide charter schools with classroom space in city buildings — or else help pay their rent in private space.

But charter leaders, including Moskowitz, prefer to use classroom space in traditional public school buildings because it doesn’t need to be renovated.

A Families for Excellent Schools tally of city data shows there are 112 underused city school buildings with space for roughly 65,000 additional students.

City Education Department spokesman Michael Aciman disputed the group’s conclusions and said the city is working with charter schools to find them room.

“This misleading report is just another attempt to politicize the education of New York City children,” Aciman said.