At the request of Superintendent James A. Williams, the Buffalo Board of Education last month urged the state to impose a moratorium on new charter schools in and around Buffalo.
But Williams is now about to endorse a state grant application that calls for a major expansion of charter schools in New York State.
The reason for the turnaround is money — big money.
The state seeks as much as $700 million from the federal Race to the Top grants, which will be awarded to states later this year on a competitive basis.
Buffalo figures to get a sizable portion of any money New York lands but will be eligible for the money only if Williams signs off on a set of reforms the state Education Department proposed.
Based on federal guidelines stressing innovation and reform, the state loaded up that application with initiatives to increase the number and scope of charter schools.
That left Williams with two choices: stand firm on his effort to halt the growth of charter schools or put Buffalo in the running for millions of federal dollars.
He chose the latter. “Sometimes as superintendent you have to take the middle of the road,” Williams said Tuesday. “If it means an additional $500,000 at five or six of our schools, selfishness should not be the driving force. You have to do what’s best for the children.”
As a result, Williams said he will tell a Board of Education committee this evening that he will sign the state memorandum, even though it would broaden the role of charter schools. The document urges the State Legislature to:
• Raise the statewide cap on charter schoo