Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislative leaders struck a tentative deal on charter schools during budget negotiations yesterday that would increase per-charter pupil spending statewide and force the City to provide rent assistance to charters. Per pupil funding would rise $1,100 over three years, starting with $250 the initial year, then $350 the next, and $500 the third. The boost would amount to an increase of about 3.4 percent. Also, the city would be forced to look for space for charters in public schools, or provide rent money for them to use in private spaces, which could cost up to $40 million a year. According to the deal, a third-party arbitrator would make a final ruling if the City and a charter school disagree over a co-location plan and the City would be barred from charging rent for space in public school buildings. The deal would also force the City to find space for the three Success Academy schools run by Eva Moskowitz whose co-locations were rolled back last month. The plan does not, however, offer building aid for charters to replace the $210 million in capital funding that Mayor Bill de Blasio recently diverted away from charters.
New at Gotham Gazette
Legislature Will Have Hard Time Silencing Moreland
Gotham Gazette's David King reports from Albany that State legislators are looking to defund the Moreland Commission on public corruption in the state budget, but that even if they are successful in doing so, the investigations being done by Moreland are likely to live on.
ICYMI at Gotham Gazette
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