Please write a letter to your NYS legislators to oppose raising the charter cap and to amend mayoral control.  

• First,  urge your legislators not to lift the state cap on charter schools, which continue to drain resources from our underfunded public schools.  More than half of the new charters authorized in 2010 remain unused.  If the Governor’s proposal is adopted to raise the cap by 100 and remove any geographical limits, this could send up to 250 more charters to New York City. 
•  Because of legislation passed as part of the 2014 budget, New York City is the only district in the country required to provide free space to all new or expanding charter schools. This could cost an additional $833 million annually, with the cost to state taxpayers an estimated $476 million per year, and city taxpayers $357 million per year. 
• At the same time, many charter schools still flout the 2010 law by enrolling and retaining fewer numbers of high needs students, and feature high suspension rates and abusive disciplinary procedures that would not be allowed in public schools.Audits of charter schools by the State Comptroller have found significant numbers exhibit mismanagement and conflicts of interest.
  
• We also need  legislators to oppose the tuition tax-credit scheme that would give huge breaks to millionaires and billionaires, while at the same time allowing them to divert critical state revenue to charter schools, private schools, and parochial schools.
• Finally, please ask your legislators not to renew mayoral control of NYC schools without significant reforms, including giving the NYC Council the authority to make law and provide real checks and balances, as in the case of every other city agency. As the NYC KidsPAC report card reveals, parents and community members still have little or no input when it comes to important decisions being made about their children’s schools. The Panel for Educational Policy continues to rubberstamp flawed policies and most recently approved a huge multi-million contract for a company involved in a kickback scheme, providing no effective oversight.
• If the Panel remains, it should be an elected school board, as exists in nearly every other school district in the state. At the very least, it should be reconstituted by including a majority of independent members selected by parents, the NYC Council, and the Public Advocate.