ALBANY — A crush of parents and children from Harlem angrily confronted the state Senate’s leading charter-school foe yesterday as Gov. Paterson and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein called on lawmakers to immediately lift the charter cap.
The rowdy throng of charter supporters marched on the Senate chamber to demand a meeting with Sen. Bill Perkins (D-Manhattan), who emerged last month as one of the most vocal opponents to Paterson’s failed bid to expand charter schools statewide.
“Move, Bill! Get out of the way!” the group shouted as it tromped into the ornate Senate lobby. Some wore “Democracy Prep” hats.
At least one hoisted a sign asking, “Perkins, would you refuse to meet with the UFT?”
Perkins smiled as he encountered the boisterous crowd — most from his own Harlem district — on his way to vote.
He walked directly into the shouting mass and promised to meet with the advocates before they left town.
“We can discuss how we can move forward with the best education opportunities for our kids,” said Perkins, whose district includes 17 charter schools.
Nichy Williams, whose 10-year-old attends St. HOPE Leadership Academy, said she wanted Perkins to drop his opposition to the cap hike.
“He wants to deny our children a better education,” Williams said. “We’re hearing every day that the public schools are failing and the charter schools are providing better opportunities.”
The encounter capped off a day of rallies organized by charter-school groups to fight funding cuts proposed last month by Paterson.
The visit came two weeks after lawmakers dealt the charter movement a setback by failing to raise the state’s cap on charter schools.
About 20 charters remain unclaimed under the current 200-charter cap, potentially sinking the state’s bid for up to $700 million in federal aid.
Paterson, who led efforts in Albany to raise the cap, told one gathering of advocates that he would continue to push the issue.
“Who knows, we may still win in Round 1,” he said. “If not, I’m going to make sure we win Round 2, because I haven’t given up on raising the cap on charter schools.”
Meanwhile, Klein, the city schools chief, also pressed the issue while in Albany to testify against planned budget cuts.
He called on lawmakers “to raise the cap within the current legislative session without any provisions that would stymie the growth of charter schools.”