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Over 60% of NYC parents want more charter schools, state cap lifted: poll

New York City parents strongly support charter schools — and want Gov. Kathy Hochul and Albany lawmakers to lift the state-imposed cap and open more of the publicly funded alternatives as an option for their kids, a new poll obtained by The Post reveals.

The online Morning Consult survey conducted for the pro-school choice Democrats for Education Reform (DFER-NY) found that 64% of parents have a favorable opinion of charter schools, while only 22% have an unfavorable view, with the remainder undecided or having no opinion.

Parents and all registered voters were also asked: “As you may know, New York state has set a cap on the number of charter schools allowed to open, and New York City has reached that limit, meaning no more charter schools can be authorized to open. Do you support or oppose New York state increasing the cap on the number of public charter schools allowed to open in New York City?”

Nearly two-thirds of parents — 64% — said they support increasing the cap, while just 23% of parents said they were opposed, with the remainder undecided.

When removing undecided respondents, about three-quarters of parents who expressed an opinion are boosters of charters, which are privately managed and most have non-unionized staff.

New York charter school
Getty Images/Drew Angerer

Despite strong parental support, Hochul and Democrats who control the state legislature — and who have close ties to the anti-charter teachers’ union — have refused to raise the state-imposed cap, leaving a dozen proposed schools in limbo.

There are now 275 charter schools in the city that enroll 142,500 students, about 15% of all public schools — but no more can be authorized without raising the cap. Meanwhile, even charter schools that have been approved are having difficulty finding space.

Mayor Eric Adams and his hand-picked Schools Chancellor David Banks last week blocked three Success Academy charter schools from co-locating in three school facilities in Queens and The Bronx after hearing objections from educators who run the traditional public schools who would have to share space with the charters, as well as from the United Federation of Teachers union and local elected officials.

But pro-charter school parents with kids on waiting lists, and Success Academy’s CEO Eva Moskowitz, blasted Adams and Banks for ignoring parents and caving to entranced interests defending the educational status quo.

Tinelle Ramjattan,
Tinelle Ramjattan wants to have the option to choose which school her son can attend.

“It’s a disservice to the kids and the community,” Queens mom Tinelle Ramjattan, 43, told The Post on Sunday. “If they don’t lift the cap, my kid doesn’t have more options to go to a charter school.”

The Trinidad native said she wants to enroll her son, Coleman, 3, into a charter school when he enters kindergarten —  and was baffled as to why New York’s elected officials would block the expansion of charter schools.

“If I want to get our kid something better, why not?” she said.

Bronx mom Arlene Rosado, who has two kids, one in a charter school and one in traditional public school, agreed that parents should have a choice.

“The politicians’ opposition to charter schools is silly. Every parent should have a choice between a public school and a charter school,” she told The Post.

Arlene Rosado
Tomas E. Gaston

Rosado’s son, Mano, is a 7th grader at the Nuasin Next Generation charter school in The Bronx, where she enrolled him because he was being bullied at a traditional public school.

“He’s doing great now. He’s passing all his classes,” she noted.

Data show that students in existing charter schools mostly outperform peers in the neighboring traditional public schools on the state’s standardized English and math tests.

“New Yorkers always want more choices, and this poll shows that includes more high quality choices in the public school system. For too long, families in some of the poorest communities have been denied the opportunity to select the best school for their families,” said DFER NY Executive Director Jacquelyn Martell.

“Public charter schools ensure every family has high-quality options, and we look forward to working with leaders in Albany to lift the cap on public charters.”

Mano Irick,
Tomas E. Gaston

The survey of 600 registered voters, taken on Jan. 23-24, also found that far more respondents — 46% –had a favorable view of charter schools compared to the 27% who said they did not.

Similarly, 48% of registered voters support raising the cap to open more charter schools — which typically have a longer school day and year than traditional public schools — compared to 30% who are opposed, with nearly one-quarter having no opinion.

Support for raising the cap surpasses 60% when removing undecided voters.

Even more telling, 51% of voters who identify as registered Democrats support raising the cap, compared to 27% opposing it — a 24 percent pro-charter margin. Of those Democrats who expressed an opinion when weeding out the undecided party members, 65% or two-thirds back the expansion of charter schools.

The support from Democratic voters is noteworthy because it’s Democratic lawmakers in Albany who have refused to lift the cap and allow more charter schools to open.

Tens of thousand of students dangle on charter school waiting lists because demand greatly exceeds the supply of available seats.

Rosmaira Garcia
Rosmaira Garcia, 27, said she has her son on waiting lists to enroll in kindergarten at seven charter schools.

Rosmaira Garcia, 27, a social worker from The Bronx said she has her son, Logan, 4, on waiting lists to enroll in kindergarten at seven different charter schools this fall.

She said “I completely” agree that the state cap on charter schools should be lifted and is “surprised” by opposition from lawmakers, given the overwhelming parental support.

“I am a mother. I see the challenge of getting kids enrolled in a charter school,” Garcia told The Post.

“It’s unfortunate that legislators are making these opportunities to get into charter schools more difficult,” she said. “They should be wanting more for our children. Let’s give our children an opportunity for a better future.”

Support for charter schools was consistent across racial and ethnic boundaries. Twice as many Hispanics and Black New Yorkers who expressed an opinion support lifting the charter school cap.

Success Academy's CEO Eva Moskowitz
William Farrington

Among Hispanics, twice as many were in favor of lifting the cap — 53% — compared to 26% who were against, with the rest undecided. Among African-Americans, 48% favored charter school expansion compared to 23% opposed with nearly one-third undecided.

More white and Asian voters also backed charter school expansion. Among whites, support for lifting the cap outnumbered opposition 45% to 34% with the remainder undecided. Asian voters sampled also back a cap lift — with 45% in support compared to 26% opposition with nearly a third undecided.

A few state lawmakers representing parts of New York City said they will champion charter school expansion during the 2023 legislative session in Albany.

“For far too many families in Brooklyn, they lack a quality public school to send their children. These results prove more New Yorkers want more choices and that includes public charter schools. We need to raise the cap to empower New York families,” said Assemblyman Brian Cunningham (D-Brooklyn), who represents Crown Heights and Prospect Lefferts Garden neighborhoods.

Assemblyman George Alvarez, who represents the Kingsbridge, Fordham and Belmont neighborhoods in The Bronx said, “The results from this poll mirror what I am hearing from the parents and families in my district: they want more choices and more high-quality public schools. That’s why I support having conversations on how we can bridge the gap and provide our students with a competitive education.”

The Morning Consult/Democrats for Education Reform poll has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. For parents, who made up about a quarter of the survey, the margin of error is plus or minus 8 percentage points.