Charter school advocates press for federal stimulus money to stave off state funding freeze

Charter school advocates are in a full-court press to get federal stimulus money to stave off a state funding freeze.

Several groups held a conference call Tuesday with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools to strategize about how they could peel off some of the money.

“The clear hope is that those stimulus dollars could help with the hole in the state budget,” said James Merriman, CEO of the Center for Charter School Excellence.

“Although, to be honest, I don’t care where the dollars come from, as long as they’re green.”

Advocates say that charters have been disproportionately hurt by the budget cuts.

Staff at unionized charter schools say they feel betrayed that their union lobbied for the freeze.

“I have been a staunch supporter of the union all my life,” said Ana Falla-Riff, a guidance counselor at Renaissance Charter School in Queens.

“The union supporting a budget freeze for us feels really like a betrayal in my mind.”

The New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), which did not return calls for comment, led the charge to keep charter funding flat.

City teachers head Randi Weingarten, however, said that traditional public schools took two budget cuts this year, from which charters were immune.

“NYSUT lobbied for everybody to be treated the same way,” she said. “NYSUT did not lobby for the charter schools to be treated worse.”

Source: NY Daily News