The fierce battle over control of public schools led to a torrent of more than $ 10 million in spending on lobbying in New York over just six months, according to a report released Tuesday.
The city and the teachers unions spent a combined $ 3.3 million trying to influence government officials in the first half of 2014 and was listed first in the state by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, which released the report.
New York State United Teachers led the pack with $ 2.6 million.
The United Federation of Teachers, which represents teachers in the city, spent an additional $ 718,306.
But the semi-annual report didn’t tell the entire story.
Because of what officials called a snafu, the analysis didn’t capture spending from a major pro-charter-school advocacy group.
Families for Excellent Schools shelled out $ 5.95 million during the same period, dwarfing the union spending.
The group, while disclosing the spending in its bimonthly reports, did not list the totals in a semi-annual filing, a JCOPE spokesman said.
“Any discrepancy will be addressed by the commission,” the spokesman added.
The pro-charter organization said it fully complied with the law and insisted the semi-annual filing isn’t required.
Gov. Cuomo and the state Legislature have grappled with numerous touchy education issues in Albany this year.
Under pressure from the unions, Albany power brokers delayed for two years using Common Core standardized exams to rate teachers.
Union muscle also defeated a measure sought by private and parochial schools to provide tax credits to stimulate fund-raising at public as well as non-public schools.
The School Choice Coalition — representing private and parochial schools — spent $ 982,243 in a losing cause.
“When your issue is opposed by the Number 1 big-spending special-interest group in Albany, you have to spend money yourself,” said coalition spokesman Robert Bellafiore.
But charter-school advocates also claimed a major victory — and spent roughly $ 6 million to do it.
Cuomo and the Legislature passed a law requiring the city to provide space in public-school buildings for new and expanded charter schools, or cover their rent at private facilities.
Mayor de Blasio tried to deny several Success Academy charter schools space in public-school buildings — triggering a monumental Albany battle.
As part of its advocacy, Families for Excellent Schools spent $ 3.6 million in ads attacking the mayor.
The unions defended their spending.
“We lobby on behalf of 600,000 educators from pre-K all the way up to SUNY and CUNY. That’s in contrast to hedge-fund billionaires that are pouring millions of dollars into campaigns and issue advertising,” said NYSUT spokesman Carl Korn, referring to charter-school backers.
Families for Excellent Schools had no immediate comment.
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