Parents and elected officials argue that charter schools divert funding and students from local public schools. (Via Getty Images)
April 9, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
Community Education Council 30 (CEC 30) is set to introduce a resolution calling for more opportunities for communities in local school districts to push back against planned charter schools.
CEC 30 co-presidents Whitney Thomas Toussaint and Victoria Medelius signaled that they will introduce the resolution at an upcoming CEC meeting on April 21. They intend to challenge the “current system,” which requires the Department of Education to help charter schools find a space if they request one.
The resolution also aims to bring more transparency to the process. Toussaint and Medelius both expressed concerns that local school districts are not informed about incoming charter schools until after a school has been sited and established.
Medelius said the resolution is inspired by recent news that Zeta Charter Schools would be opening a new location at the P.S. 150 Annex in Sunnyside. CEC 30 said it was blindsided by the news and immediately raised concerns about a charter school opening in the district.
CEC 30 leaders say they were blindsided by the proposed siting of a Zeta school at the P.S. 150 Annex. Via Google Maps
Zeta’s plans to establish a charter school in Sunnyside proved divisive, with hundreds of parents signing petitions both in support and opposing the development. NYC Public Schools later confirmed that Zeta would not be opening a location at the P.S. 150 Annex.
However, the prospect of a charter school opening in Sunnyside was a source of concern for both Toussaint and Medelius. They stated that charter schools negatively impact school districts by diverting enrollment away from local public schools. They also stated that any drop in enrollment numbers can translate to a drop in vital funding for public schools.
Furthermore, both Medelius and Toussaint expressed concerns over charter schools’ inclusivity, stating that charter schools are driven by performance metrics and do not have the same obligations to cater to all students as public schools.
“You need to be able to serve all children,” Toussaint said. “Children have been put out of charter schools if they don’t perform well academically. Children have been put out of charter schools if they have ‘behavioral problems.’ Children that have IEPs, they’re not being serviced as well.”
Both co-presidents hope that the proposed resolution would give local communities a stronger voice in establishing charter schools across the city, providing an opportunity for parents to raise concerns about the presence of a charter school in the district.
They further argued that the resolution would provide more transparency throughout the process, stating that the recent Zeta incident highlighted that community education councils and the local school community are not notified until a location has been sourced for a charter school.
Council Member Julie Won, who has frequently voiced her opposition to charter schools on the basis that they divert resources away from public schools and fail to prioritize all children, said she only found out that Zeta was due to open a location in Sunnyside after the school had been sited.
Council Member Julie Won recently presented a check for almost $5M to PS 150. Photo from the office of CM Won
Won expressed concerns over “zombie charters,” referring to charter school companies that have received charter licenses from another company that had its licenses surrendered, revoked, or terminated. She stated that zombie charters such as Zeta can circumvent the public approval process, making it difficult for concerned parents to raise concerns over the project.
“Charter schools like Zeta getting around the public approval process that usually would go through CEC is extremely problematic,” Won said. “We only found out about Zeta because someone at New York City Public Schools accidentally shared that information with us, which allowed us to organize very quickly, not to allow it to happen.”
Medelius, meanwhile, believes that making the charter school process more transparent would give local parents an opportunity to raise alternative suggestions.
“If there are needs that are pressing within our community… if there’s more pre-K seats or more Nest programs and things of that nature that we are in need of, then we would like to push for the community to have those seats available to the children.”
Medelius said it is a “big concern” that any charter school can open in the district and said CEC 30’s resolution seeks to “amplify” the voices of concerned parents in the district.
Critics of charter schools also stated that the Department of Education is required to pay rent for charter schools.
Won, meanwhile, called on the New York state legislature to take action against charter schools, stating that the City Council can do very little since the Department of Education is a state body.
“We have to ensure that we’re protecting and putting guardrails on our public education, our fully public schools, to ensure that they are getting the highest amount of funding so that we have the best programs and the best facilities to ensure that public schools are the place where all working-class families and families overall in New York City can survive and thrive,” Won said.
“It’s more than just an education, but it’s really the wellness of a child as a whole.”
A spokesperson for State Sen. John Liu, chairperson of the New York Senate’s Committee on New York City Education, said Liu supports the resolution and “appreciates the thoughtfulness” of CEC 30.
On the other hand, Emily Kim, founder and CEO of Zeta Charter Schools, noted that the school has consistently witnessed a desire for more “high-quality” school options across Queens.
Zeta Charter School in South Bronx. Via @zetaschools on Instagram
Zeta, which will open three locations in Queens for the 2025/26 academic year, received thousands of signatures from Queens residents in support of new charter school locations, Kim said.
“One thing we’ve consistently heard from families across the city—including in Queens—is the
strong desire for more high-quality school options,” Kim said in a statement. “We have received over 5,000 signatures in support of opening additional Zeta schools in Queens and we’re excited to continue engaging with local families to share our vision of an exceptional education for their children.”
The Department of Education has not yet responded to a request for comment.
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