Class diss-missed
City ignores charter deadline
Success Academy says 250 southeast Queens students are without a home next year after the city blew past a critical placement deadline.
In the latest skirmish with City Hall over space provision, Success says Mayor de Blasio has spitefully declined to provide the rising middle-schoolers with seats for the upcoming academic year.
“Mayor de Blasio missed another critical deadline on Friday — effectively kicking 250 public charter school students out on the street,” the network said in a statement.
Success officials said that they had to submit paperwork for a new site by this past Friday — and that their families are now in limbo.
The network maintains that the city is legally obligated to provide its students — who are considered public-school kids — with space.
“By state law, the mayor is obligated to offer at no cost to charter schools a co-location site in a building approved by the Panel for Education Policy or to secure a private facility at no expense to the public charter school,” officials said.
City Hall counters that the onus is on the network to secure seats.
“Success have had years to develop a viable, fiscally responsible long-term plan for their school community and over 100 other charter organizations have been able to follow this process without issue.
“There is no reason why they cannot do the same,” said Department of Education spokeswoman Katie O’Hanlon.
If Success found private space, the city would still have to compensate it for the rent.
Success Academy said Monday that there are several public school buildings in southeast Queens that have ample space to house the mostly low-income kids from places like Hollis and Springfield Gardens.
Arguing that it needs a modest four classrooms to operate, Success said it wants the city either to extend the charter’s stay at its existing co-location in Hollis or provide an alternative.
The city reiterated Monday that the current facility is needed for special-needs kids next year and that the charter cannot remain.
Success Academy, which has lengthy waiting lists and boasts high academic metrics, asserts that the city’s animus toward independently run charters is fueling this latest standoff.
Charter backers claim that lowincome families faced with grim public-schooling options should have an opportunity to exercise the same school choice as more affluent New Yorkers. Sector opponents argue that taxpayers’ money should go to traditional public schools.