City Hall’s reluctance to give charter schools space in public buildings is costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in needless rental costs, a new report shows.
Despite low utilization rates in districts where charters want seats, the city is forking over roughly $40 million in rental reimbursements for alternative spaces, according to the pro-charters organization Families for Excellent Schools.
Any costs that exceed that cap will be picked up by the state, the group says.
In addition, low utilization of public-school spaces in struggling districts unnecessarily bloats per-student building overhead costs, according to FES.
In Bedford-Stuyvesant’s District 16, for example, the utilization rate is only 53 percent — hiking per-student building costs to $2,411, roughly 65 percent above the city average, the group claims.
In the 10 districts where charters are demanding space, only 78 percent of school seats are used, according to an FES analysis of city data.
“Although many geographically close district schools are overdue for mergers that would save the city millions in facilities costs, the mayor’s political agenda cannot permit the termination of superfluous teachers, administrators and third-party contractors that would result from acting in the best interests of students,” FES said in a statement.
The group also notes that steadily depopulating districts are doling out more than 18 percent more per student than the rest of the city.
It expects private-space rental costs to continue to rise if the city doesn’t provide charter schools with public-school accommodations.
“No legitimate policy grounds exist to justify spending over $40 million in rental assistance to keep charters out of underutilized buildings that would save millions by co-locating with charter schools,” FES said in a statement.
The city Department of Education blasted the report, saying private rental costs for charter schools are currently $26 million at 56 schools.
“This analysis is completely inaccurate, misleading and puts politics ahead of children,” said DOE spokeswoman Toya Holness, arguing that the organization overstated low utilization rates in the districts to which charters want access.
Holness also noted that co-locations are not decided upon simply by space considerations alone, explaining that other environmental factors weigh heavily in the process.