Funds Meant for Charters May Be Diverted to Pre-K
New York City’s schools chancellor announced her intention on Friday to shift money away from charter schools to help pay for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s expansion of prekindergarten programs.
The chancellor, Carmen Fariña, in describing theEducation Department’s $12.8 billion capital plan, said she would seek to redirect $210 million that had been reserved for classroom space for charter schools and other nonprofit groups. The money, spread out over five years, would instead be used to create thousands of new prekindergarten seats, helping fulfill Mr. de Blasio’s signature campaign promise.
The decision was an opening salvo in what many expect to be a long battle between the de Blasio administration and charter schools. The mayor is an unabashed critic of the schools, which are publicly financed but privately run. He has argued that the city should focus its resources on traditional public schools.
Charter school advocates quickly denounced the administration’s decision.
“Once again, thousands of minority and low-income students and families have their educational future unfairly put in jeopardy,” Jeremiah Kittredge, executive director of Families for Excellent Schools, an advocacy group, said in a statement.
Ms. Fariña said the money for charter schools, combined with a $310 million