Asian-American parents delivered a simple message to Democratic New York
lawmakers Friday: Lift the charter school cap!

�We pay so many taxes. We have a right as parents and children to the best
education, best schools and best academics for all our children,� said
parent Judy Wong, during a rally outside the Department of Education
headquarters in lower Manhattan.

Wong, who has two public school kids, ages 11 and 15, said all students
�whatever the economic status or their race or the color of their skin or
whatever their family background� should have the opportunity to enroll in
publicly-funded charter schools as well as traditional public schools.

�Right now I feel like we are not competitive. I think they [students] are
learning a lot of politics, about sex and all this other stuff � but they
can�t do math.�

The push from the Asian-American community for school choice in New York
comes just three days after 500 predominantly black and Hispanic parents
held a pro-charter school event outside nearby City Hall.

The parent-driven campaign comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul�s plan to lift the
cap has faced fierce resistance from state Democratic legislators allied
with the anti-charter teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers,
who claim charters siphon funds and students from traditional public
schools.

But Yiatin Chu, a parent of a 12-year-old and president and founder of
Asian Wave Alliance, said, �Charter schools have delivered results for
New York City families and we should have a choice. Our public schools are
failing us and they can�t trap us in this failing system. We need more
choices, we need to lift the cap.�

Chu said her daughter is getting a �very mediocre education� � even at a
gifted and talented program in a traditional public school in Brooklyn.

Supporters shouted �Lift the Cap� and held up signs that read �NYC Needs
More Charters,� �Asian Families Want More Charter Schools,� and �Kids over
Politics.�

Newly-elected Republican Assemblyman Lester Chang, who represents southern
Brooklyn, said his fellow legislators should heed the voice of parents.

�Charter School is not my choice. It�s the parents� choice! They told me
they wanted it,� Chang said.

�I believe in the parental right to choose. And I believe in choices.
That�s what democracy is all about to choose. If there�s no choice, then
that�s autocracy.�

He continued, �So, parents know what�s in the best interest for the child.
Not me. Not the chancellor, not the mayor, not anyone else.�

Chang said his fellow Republicans in the Assembly also support Hochul�s
proposal to lift the charter school cap.

There are 275 charter schools currently operating in the city, with 12
more sent to open next fall, bringing the total to 287. The state-imposed
cap on the city bars any more charters from opening.

Hochul�s plan would give the city access to some 85 charter school
licenses that have not been used in other parts of the state.

Other parents joined the cause Friday.

Brian Robinson, who has a 5-year-old daughter in a traditional public
school and has another child on the way, said, �We need competition.
Competition brings success. It makes everybody raise their level.

�Educationally we are seeing a lot of good results with charter schools.
So if we fund charter schools that doesn�t mean that we can�t have
traditional public schools operating in the way they should be. In fact,
they would be doing better that way.�

Danyela Souza Egorov has two kids, ages 9 and 5 , in a traditional public
school, but said enrollment in a charter school should be an option.

�We need charter schools because parents should be in the driver�s seat
for their children�s education. Nobody knows better than a parent what a
child needs,� she said.

�Charter schools have proven to be a very good, high-quality choice for
our families in New York City. Parents should be the ultimate decider �
not bureaucrats and elected officials.�

Charter schools are publicly funded, privately run schools that typically
have a longer school day and year than traditional public school students
and a stronger focus on core curriculum.

Students at charter schools largely outperform neighboring district
schools on the state�s standardized Math and English Language Arts exams,
a Post series revealed.

The overwhelming majority of charter schools are non-union and have more
flexibility to operate and set their own curriculum.

<https://nypost.com/2023/03/10/asian-parents-to-ny-pols-raise-the-charter-
school-cap/>