Overview

• Organizers said more than 15,000 parents, students and staff from over 200 schools rallied at Cadman Plaza before marching to City Hall, with a performance by Common.
• Success Academy helped lead the event and canceled classes for attendance, as CEO Eva Moskowitz warned of threats tied to funding, facilities and bureaucratic constraints.
• The demonstration unfolded during a mayoral race in which Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani opposes charter expansion and has proposed audits, with backing from the teachers’ union.
• Supporters urged Albany to lift the cap on new charters, noting the sector educates roughly 150,000 students across about 286–300 schools in the city.
• Critics, including union leaders, argue charters divert resources and lack adequate accountability, while state law requires the city to provide space or reimburse rent for new or expanding charters.