Gov. Kathy Hochul and lawmakers are nearing a deal that would allow 14 new charter schools to open in New York City, potentially clearing a final hurdle for a state budget agreement that is now 27 days late, according to three people with knowledge of the negotiations.
Under a proposal presented to Democratic senators late Wednesday, the state would be allowed to reassign 14 so-called “zombie charters” — licenses that were awarded to privately run, publicly funded schools that have since gone dormant, according to the sources who were not authorized to speak publicly about the closed-door talks.
The Assembly’s Democratic majority is expected to meet privately to discuss the proposal today. If they could agree, it could clear the way for a final agreement on a budget that will exceed $225 billion.
If approved, the measure would mark a significant compromise by Hochul, who had originally proposed allowing more than 100 new charters in New York City in large part by removing the city’s regional cap. Under current law, the city can only have a maximum of 275 charters open, which is a cap it has already reached. The rest of the state remains well below its limit.
Hochul had argued the public supports new charter schools, saying parents should have more choice when it comes to where to send their children for education.
But Democrats lawmakers and the state and city teachers unions balked at any expansion, citing their long-held position that charter schools bleed enrollment — and funding — from traditional public schools.
By Tuesday, Hochul acknowledged most of her recent negotiations with Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) had focused more on the zombie charter issue, rather than the regional cap.
“I’m trying hard to overcome the objections, but this is a very challenging issue because of the emotions on both sides of the debate,” Hochul told reporters at the Capitol.
As the three sides…
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