Paterson Vows Support for City's Charter Schools

Governor Paterson vowed his support for charter schools last night at an event attended by thousands of parents and children.

They gathered en masse at the Harlem Armory in hopes of getting one of the about 600 available spots at the Success Academy charter school network, which picks students by random lottery.

Some charter school operators shun publicized lotteries as intrusions onto rejected families. But the Success network, run by former City Council Member Eva Moskowitz, embraced the lottery as a way to demonstrate support for charter schools.

Speakers criticized elected officials who do not support charters; one, the radio personality James Mtume, said such politicians are "in the back pocket of the teachers' union."

A parent group organized by Success Academy placed prewritten postcards to City Council Member Inez Dickens on the Armory's seats. The cards urged Ms. Dickens, who is opposing an effort by the city to place a Success charter school in a traditional public school, to "change your mind about charter schools."

Charter schools receive taxpayer dollars but have greater flexibility than regular public schools in exchange for stricter accountability.