Gov. Paterson gripes when critics as sail him for his poor leadership skills, but then goes and proves them right — as he did yesterday when he took a pass on a bill to raise the state’s charter-school cap.
Even though New York’s schoolkids are desperate for new charters. Even though it may cost the state a bundle.
“Legislative changes are currently not needed,” Paterson aide Marissa Shorenstein said, referring to a bill from Assemblyman Sam Hoyt (D-Buffalo) that, among other things, would scrap the cap.
Shorenstein argues that the state is eligible for a share of more than $4 billion in federal funds, despite the cap.
Is she kidding? Team Obama’s “Race to the Top” program ties the funding directly to state progress on reforms like promoting charter schools and weighing student test results in teacher-tenure decisions. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has specifically fingered New York’s charter cap as a barrier.
Meantime, Paterson faces a deficit this year of some $4.1 billion — and more gaps down the road. He can’t afford to be blasé about snagging that much cash.
Anyway, lifting the cap — now set at 200 charters statewide — would be a no-brainer even without the extra funds. The state could hit that limit by January, even as parents are beating down the doors trying to get their kids into charters. These schools, recall, often do better than traditional public schools, since they generally operate free of union rules.
Teachers unions, which hate the competition, are surely exerting pressure to keep the cap in place. But Paterson’s al ready on their bad side thanks to his proposed mid-year cuts in school spending.
If Paterson can’t get behind this, he deserves all the criticism he gets.