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Success Academy Wants to Open 14 More Charter Schools by 2016

By Gustavo Solis | June 11, 2014 12:15pm
 Third-grade students Tyler Smalls, left, and Sekou Cisse raise their hands in reading comprehension class at Harlem Success Academy in March 2009.
Third-grade students Tyler Smalls, left, and Sekou Cisse raise their hands in reading comprehension class at Harlem Success Academy in March 2009.
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Getty Images/Chris Hondros

NEW YORK CITY — Eva Moskowitz's Success Academy wants to open 14 more schools across the city in the next two years, the charter school network announced.

Success Academy filed an application with the state this week to open the new schools in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx, rapidly expanding what is already the city's biggest network of charter schools.

The move came on the heels of Moskowitz's public battle with Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier this year over charter schools using space in public schools. De Blasio initially booted three of Moskowitz's proposed charters from district school buildings but ultimately found space for them elsewhere.

Moskowitz already has 22 charter schools in the city, but she said in a statement that the existing schools are not enough to meet demand. The schools received 14,400 applications for fewer than 3,000 open seats this year, she said.

“[Schools] Chancellor [Carmen] Fariña recently noted that it is important to listen to the community," Moskowitz said in the statement. "That is what we are doing in applying for these charters because the community is demanding more high-quality charter schools."

Moskowitz also praised Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who spearheaded a charter-friendly measure in the state legislature this year that would require the city to find space for new charter schools in existing public school buildings — or else pay for the charters to rent private space elsewhere.

A city spokeswoman said officials would review the new Success Academy proposals once the state decides whether to approve them.

"It's our goal to invest in all our public schools to make sure parents have great options for their children, regardless of what zip code they live in," the spokeswoman said.

If approved, four of the 14 schools will open in West Harlem, Lower Manhattan, the Lower East Side and southeast Queens in 2015. The rest will open in every borough except Staten Island in 2016. 

Supporters of Success Academy have praised the chain for turning out high-performing students. But critics say putting the charters in public school buildings takes resources away from other students.