State
Charter schools
Photo: Jakub Hałun · CC BY 4.0
New York should allow more charter schools.
Politician
Stance
KH
Kathy Hochul
G
Not on record
BB
Bruce Blakeman
G
Not on record
LJ
Letitia James
A
Not on record
SK
Saritha Komatireddy
A
Not on record
TD
Thomas DiNapoli
C
Not on record
JH
Joseph Hernandez
C
Not on record
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You
Where do you stand?
Against
Not sure
For
The issue
Whether New York should allow more charter schools, which are free and public but run independently.
New York City has hit the state's legal limit, with about 285 charter schools, so no new ones can open there without a law change. In July 2026, a fight grew between two state boards over who gets to approve charters.
Allow more
Charters give families, especially low-income families, another free option, and most city charters beat the district average on state tests.
Keep cap
Each charter student moves about $16,600 in public money away from district schools, which still teach most children and have fixed costs.
Good to know
1
About 150,000 NYC students, roughly 15%, attend charter schools. Source ↗
2
On 2025 state tests, 167 NYC charter schools (over 70%) beat the city public schools' average in reading. Source ↗
3
State law requires school districts to pay charter schools about $16,600 per student. Source ↗
Words to know
Charter school
A free public school run by an independent nonprofit instead of the school district, with more control over hiring and teaching.
Charter cap
The legal limit on how many charter schools can exist. NYC has reached it.
Latest
Chalkbeat / New York Focus
The fight for control over New York's charter schools is escalating
2026-07-23
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amNewYork
NYC charter schools outperform city public schools, data shows
2026-03-25
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Vital City
Mamdani's Charter School Dilemma
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