State Senate Republican leader says charter schools must be part of funding talks

Mike Groll/AP

Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau) says he’s ready to negotiate with Gov. Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) over charter schools.

ALBANY – Support for charter schools must be part of the same budget talks as universal prekindergarten, state Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos said Monday.

His comments came as thousands of charter school backers geared up for a rally in Albany Tuesday, the same day Mayor de Blasio and 1,500 supporters will lobby for pre-K.

Skelos (R-Nassau) said he would make charters an issue in negotiations with Gov. Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) over education and pre-K funding.

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Charters are important to Senate Republicans, he noted.

“Pre-K’s important to the speaker and to de Blasio,” Skelos said. “There are a lot of things that are important, more important or less important to all the leaders.”

A spokeswoman for Gov. Cuomo said he “is a strong supporter of the charter school movement” and would “work with legislative leaders to ensure they are able to continue to serve the community.”

RELATED: LACKING FUNDS TO EXPAND PRE-K PROGRAM, CITY DELAYS SIGNUPS

Republicans have blasted de Blasio for cancelling $ 210 million in capital funding for charter schools and more recently, blocking three charter schools run by former City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz from using space in city schools. Silver said he doubted the Assembly would go along with Skelos on charter schools.

While Silver said his conference hasn’t discussed the charter school issue this year, he noted: “Our conference has always taken a position that there shouldn’t be co-location that disenfranchises or consolidates and there are lot of issues in the past.”

Asked if he envisions helping the Moskowitz charters, Silver said: “I don’t think so.”

Moskowitz canceled class at her Success Academy schools to bus parents, teachers and kids to the protest, where they’ll join supporters from more than 90 charter schools from around the state.

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