Charter bigs blast Blas in ‘space’ war

Charter school leaders demanded that Mayor de Blasio swiftly sign off on 27 applications for placement in city school buildings in a conference call Monday.

Eva Moskowitz of Success Academy, Matthew Levey of the International Charter School of New York, Miriam Raccah of Bronx Charter School of the Arts and Jeremiah Kittredge of Families for Excellent Schools argued that there’s ample room to accommodate the requests without delay.

An accompanying analysis by FES highlighted 112 “chronically underutilized” schools across the city. Those buildings have had more than 300 empty classroom seats annually since 2012, according to FES. Of those 112 schools, 68 were in districts where charters are applying for space, the group said.

“The data therefore is a staggering validation of the fact that 27 requests should be a nobrainer and not at all compli- cated,” said Kittredge.

Charter schools that aren’t given space in public buildings must locate and pay for private spaces and are reimbursed. The charter officials said trawling for workable classrooms is unduly burdensome and needlessly expensive in light of the city’s existing vacancies.

Moskowitz said having to secure and finance private space was not realistic in the long term and that siting delays were hampering future planning.

“More pointedly, I would argue that we shouldn’t have to because we’re a public school and there is space in New York City,” she said. “So we too look forward to a different type of relationship with the mayor.”

Levey said that despite a slew of public options near his school’s downtown Brooklyn location, the Department of Education only offered him space in prohibitively distant Flatbush.

He said he had to consider a car dealership, an ice cream factory and a parking garage as options.

“Public charter schools are asking for fair access to open public space and fair treatment of our students,” said Levey. “If Mayor de Blasio is really willing to collaborate with us, he should be willing to treat all public schools fairly.”

The DOE has consistently questioned FES school vacancy data, arguing that city figures don’t account for future reorganizations and potential population shifts.

“We’ve been in close communication with each charter organization and this misleading report is just another attempt to politicize the education of New York City children,” said DOE spokesman Michael Aciman. “We will continue to follow State Law and work with charter schools to assess space requests in a timely manner and ensure the equitable use of school buildings for all students.”

Editorial

We shouldn’t have to [hunt for buildings] because we’re a public school and there is space. — Eva Moskowitz

We’ll know by the end of September if Mayor de Blasio really means to make peace with the charter-school movement, its leaders announced Monday: Will the Department of Education grant charters’ 27 open requests for space for the 2018-19 school year?

De Blasio’s olive branch was part of the bargaining that a few months back helped him win a two-year extension of mayoral control of the regular public-school system. Among other things, City Hall specifically promised to smooth the process for OK’ing charters’ requests to use space that regular schools don’t need.

This typically means “co-locating” a charter in the same building as a regular public school — but DOE co-locates regular schools all across town.

Charter schools need a year’s notice that, yes, they have the space in order to plan ahead, from staffing up to admitting more kids via the annual lottery.

But in his first three years, de Blasio’s minions rejected 79 percent of charters’ space requests, and delayed deciding on many others.

One tactic has been to deny that the va- cant space exists. Yet an analysis by the charter advocates at Families for Excellent Schools, using the DOE’s own data, found 112 chronically underused buildings — that year after year enroll at least 300 fewer kids than they have space for.

And 68 of those buildings are in the districts covered by those 27 requests.

In previous years, the state education commissioner overruled the city’s nixing of classroom space to charters in 56 of 57 cases. As a result, the city is shelling out $40 million a year for charters’ rent.

That’s $40 million in taxpayer cash wasted, simply to spite charters.

The city Independent Budget Office estimates that co-locating a charter saves $2,700 per student over what it costs if the school has to find private space.

The schools behind these 27 requests include some of the best in the city. Letting them expand means more and better opportunities for some of New York’s most underprivileged families.

Let’s hope de Blasio makes good on his promises: It’d be a big win for children who can really use one.