New York's Assembly is passing a bill to expand the number of charter schools in an effort to qualify for more than $500 million in federal Race to the Top education funds.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says the Democrat-led chamber will vote to raise the number of charters available for the innovative public schools to 460 over four years, from the current 200. The Democrat-led Senate has already agreed to raise the limit to 460 charters.
In January, the Assembly and Senate failed to agree to increase charters. Paterson has said the limit needed to be raised to at least 454 charters to have a shot at the competitive federal grants. New York lost in the first round.
The state's powerful state teachers unions had opposed the efforts.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
