Blasio’s charter space disgrace

Mayor de Blasio has drastically curbed charterschool accommodations in city buildings, Success Academy officials said at a rally Thursday morning.

A total of 150 charter school co-locations were approved between 2009 and 2013, the group said. Under de Blasio, that number dipped sharply to 54 between 2014 and this year.

Roughly 80 Success parents and backers gathered at City Hall to tout the network’s academic achievements and to demand more space.

“Why would you play politics with education when the results are clear as day?” said Bronx Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, who has two children in Success schools.

The network, which again posted stellar state test scores this past year, argued that de Blasio and the Department of Education are being purposefully stingy with space to throttle growth.

Citing a study from the Manhattan Institute, Success Academy said Thursday there are 192 DOE buildings with at least 300 available seats and that some schools have up to 1,000 empty spots.

“Parents and families are far too often shut out of good schools, and yet the mayor who promotes equity does not believe in it for charter parents,” said Success CEO Eva Moskowitz. “That is discrimination.”

The network cited long charter waiting lists as inarguable evidence of neglected parental demand for alternatives to regular public schools.

Success Academy critics have long contended that the network siphons space and funding from regular public schools and that they cull problematic stu- dents in order to preserve strong metrics.

Without mentioning Success Academy by name, de Blasio sharpened his critique of the network at a recent press conference with thinly veiled jabs at its model and methods.

De Blasio signaled his opposition to charterschool expansion and said he will remain focused on traditional public schools.

That emphasis, network backers argued Thursday, is stranding city parents who want their kids in a charter program.

A DOE spokesman said the department is properly evaluating Success Academy’s space demands.

Why W would you play politics with education when the results are clear as day? — Assemblyman Marcos Crespo