State lawmakers will hear plenty about two major educational issues in the city — universal pre-kindergarten and charter schools — as supporters on both issues head to ALbany for Lobby Day.
More than 2,500 kids and parents are headed to the state capitol to drum up support for their charter schools.
They’re upset that the de Blasio administration’s killed plans to allow three Success Academy charter schools to be located within public schools.
State legislators are divided on the issue of co-locations.
“It seems to me that those actions were taken without a thoughtful plan. How do you go in and essentially tell people that are out of a school building without having some alternative,” said State Senator John Flanagan of Long Island.
“I am not against charter schools, I happen to be against co-location. When I voted for the initial legislation in 1998, it was with the understanding that these charter schools would be getting their own buildings,” said Assemblyman Keith Wright of Harlem.
Success Academy is run by former City Council member and de Blasio rival Eva Moskowitz, who is leading today’s march and rally in Albany.
Also being held in Albany today is a rally to gain support for an expansion of universal pre-kindergarten in the city, and Mayor de Blasio is expected to attend.
The mayor wants to pay for pre-K by raising taxes on New Yorkers making more than $ 500,000 a year.
He also wants to use that tax hike to pay for an expansion of the city’s after-school program.
Yesterday, the mayor said his proposal would more than double the size of after-school, offering space to 120,000 middle school students.
He says the expansion is ready to go but needs the right funding.
Governor Andrew Cuomo is opposed to a tax increase, and has offered to fund the programs with existing state revenues.
City officials say state funding is not reliable and could always be taken away.
Any tax hike would have to be approved by Albany.
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