N.Y. State Budget Offers Strong Support for Charter Schools

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislative leaders hammered out a deal Saturday on a budget that would grant New York City charter schools some of the country’s strongest protections for such academies, dealing a seeming blow to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s education agenda, writes The New York Times.

The proposed spending plan would require the city to find space in public school buildings for charters—which are taxpayer-funded but independently operated, typically by nonprofit groups—or pay to house them in private facilities. The bill would also prohibit the city from charging rent to charter schools, an idea Mr. de Blasio backed in his mayoral campaign last year.

Charter advocates mounted a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign blasting Mr. de Blasio’s decision last month to deny city-owned space to three nonprofit-run charter schools. In the face of declining approval ratings, the mayor has moved in recent weeks to ease tensions with pro-charter groups.

The state backing for charters, which are poised to expand significantly in the city, could undercut Mr. de Blasio’s ambitious goals in other areas of education, such as reinvigorating schools on the verge of closing and opening 100 schools with health clinics, the Times also reports.