ALBANY – Eleven days past an initial budget deadline, Albany Democrats remain so stuck on bail reform and housing issues that legislative leaders say serious talks have yet to even begin on expanding charter schools in New York City.
“There has not been – no,” state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) told reporters Tuesday at the Capitol when asked whether “substantive” discussions had taken place on the matter.
“Bail and housing have been dominant in our conversations thus far.”
Stewart-Cousins’ comments echoed Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx), who said Monday there has been “zero movement” on Gov. Hochul’s controversial charter push amid the bail standoff.
Hochul wants to allow roughly 100 more charters to open in the five boroughs by removing a regional cap and allowing defunct, so-called “zombie” licenses to be reissued to new schools.
But both chambers rejected those ideas in budget resolutions passed weeks ago — with the support of a powerful teachers’ union that has given big campaign bucks in recent years to key legislators.
Just 275 charter schools are currently allowed in the Big Apple out of a statewide cap of 460.
Albany insiders believe Hochul will expand so much effort getting a favorable deal on bail and housing that charter expansion will be off the table when all is said and done.
“Obviously the governor has prioritized bail changes, and nobody can get everything they want, but any expansion of charter schools is doomed in the state Legislature,” one source told The Post. “Even the moderate Democrats in the Legislature who might be sympathetic on bail are allied with the teachers’ union.”
“If she’s pushing this hard on bail, she is by definition going to need to give up other priorities,” a second state Capitol observer stated bluntly.
One Assembly source briefed on the matter claims Democrats in that chamber are open to a compromise that could include allowing zombie charter licenses to be reissued — but members on both sides of the debate stress the matter is far from settled.
“Right now we’re sort of in the twilight zone. We know there are budget negotiations going on, but it’s uncertain when the minds are going to come together and when the budget will be completed.” said Assembly Education Chair Michael Benedetto (D-Bronx). “There is nothing going on in terms of compromise on charter schools.”
Democrats in the state Senate appear even more opposed to the governor’s charter pitch, which New York City Education Chair John Liu (D-Queens) has called a “nonstarter.”
Despite the pessimism in Albany, charter supporters say they are holding out hope that their position will win out among the so-called “three people in a room” once they settle their differences on bail and housing.
“I don’t think we’re done with the charter conversations,” Assemblyman Brian Cunningham (D-Bronx) told The Post Tuesday. “We just haven’t gotten past the obvious.”
The governor has declined so far to unleash what one wag called “Dark Kathy” against legislators by leveraging her powers to force them to vote on a budget extender packed with proposals progressives oppose.
“It’s certainly something we would want to avoid,” Stewart-Cousins told reporters of that possibility Tuesday.
Ending the impasse on housing will depend on deciding the extent to which developers can override zoning laws if localities fail to meet specific growth targets as part of a statewide effort to build 800,000 new units over the next decade.
Heastie said Monday that a final deal ought to address expanding affordable housing programs, increasing rent assistance for NYCHA residents as well as “tenant protection” in addition to resolving differences over Hochul’s specific plans.
On Tuesday, Stewart-Cousins repeated her chamber’s desire to incentivize housing construction through increased funding to help cities and towns build supporting infrastructure.
“I’m not opposed to a stick,” she said. “I just don’t think we should begin with a stick.”
She added that “tenant protections are important” as progressives continue pushing for so-called “Good Cause” eviction protections that would limit rent increases statewide — much to the chagrin of the state’s powerful real estate industry.
A budget extender approved Monday is keeping state government running for the next week while Hochul, Heastie and Stewart-Cousins continue negotiations.
Albany Democrats will likely have to approve a third short-term measure in order to have enough time to finalize and vote on final budget bills.
A Hochul spokesperson did not comment Tuesday about the status of the governor’s charter proposal.