Two charter rallies, two views

Leaders in the movement for racial equity took to the capitol on Tuesday to push opposing agendas for charter schools in New York.

Hazel Dukes, president of the NAACP New York, and the late Malcom X’s daughter Illyasah Shabaz participated in dueling rallies at the state Capitol.

Dukes, a known advocate for Hochul, said she was surprised and disappointed to see Hochul’s proposal for more charters in her budget Feb. 1. She stood alongside several lawmakers and advocates calling on the Democratic governor to rethink her proposals to lift the regional cap on charters and revive “zombie charters,” ones that have closed and haven’t reopened.

Soon after, Shabaz stood on the Capitol’s Million Dollar Staircase in front of a booming crowd of charter students to advocate for Black and brown charters that push culturally responsive teaching. She said she would like students to receive an education where they can see themselves in the classroom both in content and the faculty.

Negotiations surrounding charters have yet to begin, but lawmakers and groups say “zombie” charters could be a potential middle ground, POLITICO reported Monday. Three officials familiar with negotiations told POLITICO that zombies are an option, but not the only one in consideration. The charter fight likely won’t come up until later in budget talks as issues like bail reform and housing initiatives seem to be the main sticking points.

Dukes said she is still a supporter of Hochul — especially for her proposal for a ban on menthol cigarettes— but her views on charters and bail reform are where their political views diverge.

“I was caught off guard, I did not know (the charter proposal) was in there until it came out,” Dukes said in an interview. “We had no conversation about it. I’m not trying to pigeon hole it; maybe she has good reason. But,I have to stand on my principles and for my children.”

An hour after Dukes spoke, Shabaz gave a speech talking about the roles that charters play in creating curriculums and environments that empower minority students. She was joined by several members of the Assembly who support adding more charter schools in New York City.

“I know that our governor of the state of New York, Kathy Hochul, has made somewhat of a bold proposal related to charter schools. I stand here today to ask the Legislature to find it in themselves to do the equality bold act in the interest of properly educating our children with a curriculum that is based on truth,” Shabaz said.

IT’S TUESDAY: And there are no signs of a budget deal (probably get used to that line). But stay with us each afternoon as we keep you updated on the latest New York news at the state Capitol, City Hall and beyond.

From the Capitol

JUDGE MOVE DERIDED: A program bill introduced late Monday from Hochul to allow her to appoint an associate judge to the Court of Appeals if she promotes a current judge on the court to chief judge drew opposition from a Latino leader.

Roberto Ramirez, who helped lead the Latinos for LaSalle effort to push for Hector LaSalle’s confirmation for the top judge post, railed Tuesday against Hochul’s move. He claimed it would exclude potential candidates for associate judge who didn’t apply because they thought the selection process from the Commission on Judicial Nomination was only reviewing applicants for chief judge.

“The decision to include the confirmation of a chief judge and the selection of associate judges within the budget negotiations is flat-out wrong,” he said in a statement. “It ignores the basic tenet of the judiciary as an independent and equal branch of government. Moreover, it should be patently obvious to any observer that this targeted effort ensures no Latinos are appointed to the Court of Appeals. This is the death knell of 50 years of merit selection in New York.”

Hochul’s case is that it doesn’t make sense to start the process over if, as her program bill suggests, she will nominate a chief judge candidate from among three hopefuls already on the court.

“The Commission has provided the Governor with a strong list of candidates, including three sitting Court of Appeals judges,” Hochul’s office said in a statement. “Given that the Court has been operating with a vacancy since last summer, this legislation would create a path to quickly restore the Court to full strength.” — Joseph Spector

From City Hall

NEW JOB: There was a quick career change for Gary Jenkins, who last served as the city’s social services commissioner on March 3. On Monday, Jenkins will join former City Hall chief of staff Frank Carone’s new lobbying consulting firm — Oaktree Solutions — as managing director of social services, WNYC reported.

Jenkins had resigned from his role in the department of social services after being at the center of several scandals, including leaving New York City in August at the start of the migrant crisis and covering up Adams’ administration violations related to homeless shelters.

While legally speaking, Jenkins and Carone are barred from lobbying Adams’ administration for a year since both are former municipal government employees, Oaktree Solutions’ customers count companies that look to gain favor with City Hall. Among them is SL Green, the New York City’s firm that is planning to construct a casino in Times Square. — Eleonora Francica

On the beats

CAP AND NO TRADE: Environmental justice groups who spearheaded the push for a landmark climate law mandating emissions reductions in New York are at another pivotal moment as they fight to shape the funding program to achieve those ambitious targets.

NY Renews, the coalition of environmental, community and labor groups that backed the climate law passed in 2019, is fighting to influence a cap-and-trade program proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. If they’re successful, outside observers are hopeful that a more equitable framework could be exported to other states including California, which has had a cap-and-trade program since 2013.

“The stuff in California is a little bit milquetoast-y. We were a leader at some point…. It’s now a little bit old and it needs to be refreshed,” said Parin Shah, who heads up environmental justice efforts at the Asian Pacific Environmental Network. “New York really has that ability to be able to set the standard the way y’all have been doing lately and pull us, because it would be really cool to have y’all telling us what we need to do in California.” — Marie J. French

EDUCATION: The United Federation of Teachers, parents and a teacher filed a lawsuit in Manhattan State Supreme Court on Tuesday to block the co-location of two Success Academy charter schools with Queens and Brooklyn public schools. Success Academy is New York City’s largest charter network.

The parties alleged that the Department of Education violated state education law and its own regulations by not giving students, parents, community and the Panel for Educational Policy, the DOE’s governing body, adequate information about major changes to their school’s space and how the changes will impact the education of current and prospective students. The PEP voted to approve the co-locations at the end of last year.

“The DOE has misled parents, the public, and the PEP itself regarding the actual impacts of its proposed co-locations, including both schools’ ability to comply with impending requirements of the new Class Size Law,” the lawsuit states, referring to a new law that requires the city to reduce class sizes. — Madina Touré

HEALTH CARE: Evergreen Health has rejected Gov. Kathy Hochul’s request to attend the Buffalo Pride Parade and Festival, citing her decision to implement a long-delayed, Cuomo-era policy that would save the state money by changing how Medicaid covers prescription drugs. The move was first reported by The Buffalo News.

The so-called pharmacy carveout would deprive community health centers of revenue they receive through the federal drug discount program known as 340B. Providers use the money to fund health services for underserved people, including the LGBTQ+ community.

The health care organization, formerly AIDS Community Services, coordinates and manages the Buffalo Pride Parade and Festival and directs proceeds to the Pride Center of Western New York, an affiliate organization.

“We cannot welcome policies that run counter to our mission of supporting LGBTQ+ people and their health and are denying your request to join the 2023 Buffalo Pride Parade and Festival,” Evergreen Health and the Pride Center of Western New York wrote in a letter to the Buffalo-born governor on Monday. “We did not make this decision lightly. We have exhausted our efforts to communicate the devastating consequences of the policy and express our concerns.”

Evergreen is also involved in a lawsuit filed Friday to halt the carveout from taking effect April 1. — Maya Kaufman

Around New York

— Station agents will no longer occupy their subway booths starting Thursday. (WNYC)

— Here’s a list of 147 New York hospitals ranked by the wait time spent for the emergency rooms. (Upstate New York)

— New proposals to fix Penn Station are being explored. (The New York Times)

— A higher salary and more opportunities to enter the workforce await lifeguards in New York City. (THE CITY)