Today is the annual Charter School Advocacy Day where charter school parents, staff, trustees and students from across New York State gather in Albany to lobby their state legislators.

More than 3,000 attendees are expected in Albany. This is by far the largest Charter Advocacy Day turnout, shattering last year's record turnout of "only" 750.

The message for legislators is "restore our funding." As The Chalkboard detailed earlier today, charter schools are inequitably funded and it's been made worse by a state-imposed, unjust funding freeze that severs the connection to school district operations spending. This freeze cheats charter schools from funding that rightfully belongs to their students based on what district students have already received.

Charter operators and parents will educate their legislators on this and other issues about charter schools, as the misinformation from charter opponents was in gross oversupply last month during the Race to the Top debate.

So, expect the state Capitol and Empire State Plaza Concourse level to be packed today, more so than usual. Charter school stakeholders have a message and they're not gonna take it anymore - not without a fight. Legislators' actions on charter schools, especially this last month and throughout the state budget-making process, are under scrutiny as never before as charter constituents are watching more closely.

Peter Murphy
for The Chalkboard
(see me Twitter @ PeterMurphy26)