Credit: @deBlasioNYC via Twitter
The city plans to cut $210 million in charter school funding and redirect it toward Mayor Bill de Blasio’s signature universal pre-Kindergarten initiative, Schools ChancellorCarmenFariña said on Friday.
The money will add 2,100 more pre-K seats to the program de Blasio hopes to fund with tax hikes on the wealthy.
“These revisions will help us create high-quality, full-day pre-Kindergarten seats citywide that will deliver strong instruction,” Fariña said.”The changes also will add seats to reduce class size among all grade levels – a longstanding and high-priority issue for communities throughout the city.”
The Department of Education’s $12.8 billion “Five Year Plan” is set for a vote in mid-March.
De Blasio’s mayoral platform de-emphasized charter schools, but this is his administration’s first move away from the controversial educational model.
Follow Emily Johnson on Twitter @emilyjreports
