By Jennifer Glickel
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Thousands of New Yorkers were out Tuesday to support Gov. David Paterson’s push to lift the cap on charter schools on Charter School Advocacy Day.
Paterson told an audience of charter school supporters in Albany that he would continue to push for legislation to lift the cap. Paterson said that lifting the cap would better New York’s chances of receiving up to $700 million of federal education funding in the nationwide competition known as Race to the Top.
Last month the governor called the Legislature together to consider a proposal that would increase the number of charter schools allowed in the state, but neither the State Senate nor the State Assembly approved the measure.
“The legislation did not pass,” Paterson said. “And it’s very sad because it’s no secret that New York State is having severe problems financially. So if there’s money out there, you would think we would want to go and get it. And if there’s a race, you’d think we’d want to win the race.”
The governor said that with the 30,000 students currently enrolled in charter schools, the state is approaching its cap.
After the governor’s remarks, the crowd chanted “please no freeze!” in response to a provision included in the 2010-11 Executive Budget that would add a cut to education funding specifically for charter schools.
Paterson responded to questions about charter school advocates' complaints about this potential double cut by reminding them that, while charter schools do receive 75 percent of the funding that public schools receive, charter schools are entitled to private funding to which public schools are not entitled.
