Education Lobby Day in Albany Brings Out Two Sides

Thousands of charter school students, parents and teachers came to the New York State Capitol in Albany to hear nearly two hours of speeches, watch dance performances — and impress upon lawmakers their electoral clout.

One New York City parent, Erika Corin, came with her two children, who attend Bronx 4 Success Academy.   

“You have to put the kids into the mindset of learning and improving their lifestyle to get a better future,” she said.

Meanwhile, a rival faction from the city teachers union also showed up at the state's annual education lobby day with a different message: that Gov. Andrew Cuomo should give the public school system the hundreds of millions of dollars due from a court settlement in the next fiscal year, which begins April 1. 

"We are being given more and more children with disabilities every year, but we’re not being given more staff or funding to meet their needs, so a special education teacher like myself is being stretched very thin," said Meg Bell, a special education teacher in Brooklyn.

But it was clear which side had the glamour: the Grammy Award-winning singer Ashanti performed for the charter supporters, who had turned the front of the capitol building into a sea of red, the color of the hats and T-shirts custom-produced for the event.

The charter rally, along with the clothing, lunches and the 450 buses used to transport the participants, was paid for by Families for Excellent Schools, a group founded by Wall Street investment bankers and venture capitalists. Its executive director, Jeremiah Kittredge, declined to divulge the price tag, or say whether Ashanti was paid for her appearance.

“I’m not going to comment on specific expenses,” Kittredge said, explaining the funding came from the group’s 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, which does not have to publicly disclose donors.

Ashanti said she had a great school experience where she grew up on Long Island, and wanted all children to have the same advantages.

“The kids are suffering the most,” Ashanti said. “We’re all here to raise awareness and let everyone know what’s going on and try to do as much as we can and be as vocal as possible.”

Gov. Cuomo, who has been supportive of charter schools, did not attend the rally but instead was in Rochester and Syracuse promoting a plan to raise the minimum wage.  The governor did not mention charter schools, but he did take a shot at teachers and their unions.

“It’s about the students, and somebody has to stand up for the students against the teachers union when their interests hurts the students,” Cuomo said.

A group of retired teachers from Syracuse said they were barred from the governor’s event. They complained outside.

According to the governor’s office, the event was by invitation only, but space was made available for protesters outside.