Albany is not Selma. But if President Obama and Gov. Cuomo are right that inequality in education is “the civil-rights issue of our time,” today’s charter march on our state capital continues a noble fight.
By marching, these moms, dads, children and teachers shine a bright light on an ugly truth: In its treatment of charter public schools, New York City is making second-class citizens out of the mostly minority kids these schools serve.
The marchers come from 100-plus schools around the state. Among their demands, they want a fix to the state law that enforces their second-class status by denying charters the same funding for space other public schools receive.
There’s reason to think they might get it. On Monday, The Post quoted a businessman saying Cuomo had promised to back legislation to fund space for displaced charters. As The Post also reported, Senate GOP leader Dean Skelos is vowing to aid charters.
“Anything can be done if there is a will,” Skelos says. He calls Mayor de Blasio’s move “unconscionable” and accuses him of “robbing” 600 mostly minority kids of “quality” schools. Why “pull the rug out from under a school whose students are achieving?”
Good question. A city report on test results from last year put it this way: “Charter schools outperform peer schools serving similar students.” And students at the Success Academy schools targeted by de Blasio were among the best performers.
That’s why there’s a waiting list for city charters more than 50,000 long. A progressive city would be making room for them — not throwing black and Latino kids with good public schools out into the street.