Time to stop requiring DOE pay for charter school rent, so prone to corruption and abuse!

March 7, 2024

Today, Chalkbeat featured an article about a charter school whose affiliated organization hugely inflated the rent on their own charter school to squeeze more money out of DOE. Our 2021 report contained many such examples of fraudulent behavior. Yet DOE is the only district in the state and the nation required to pay for charter school rent in private buildings, and this is costing the DOE nearly $100 million this year, at a rate that is increasing fast.

Senator Liu and Assemblymember Benedetto have introduced bills in the Legislature, S2137/A5672, to repeal this unfair obligation that has been prone to self-dealing, corruption, and abuse, and is a significant drain on the DOE budget.

Please send a message to your legislators today to sign onto these bills, and push for them to be enacted.

Thanks!

Leonie Haimson
Executive Director
Class Size Matters
124 Waverly Pl.
New York, NY 10011
phone: 917-435-9329

leonie@classsizematters.org
Follow on twitter @leoniehaimson