Charter schools are a huge supplement to public schools.

0:00 Speaker 1 Well, speaking of one of our other great guests here in studio, we have Governor Pataki, and Governor Pataki give us the update on charter schools because this is so bad.

0:09 Speaker 2 By the way, I went to an event last week that Governor Patackys held and it was a beautiful event. We had sold out crowd and everybody spoke. Everybody was there that kid about kids, and everybody was there the kid that they get a great education. Governor Pataki did a great job. And people don’t know when he was

0:32 governor he signed it into legislation, was it on charter schools? And how many kids have gone through charter schools since then?

0:42 Speaker 3 Hundreds and hundreds of thousands, So it’s probably over a couple of million now because there’s like one hundred and sixty seven thousand each year they go to charter schools here in New York City and there’s more around the state.

0:54 And we had the event because it was the twenty fifth anniversary of the signing of the charter school law. And I know there were a lot of skills at the time, but it’s worked, and it’s worked incredibly well.

1:04 Parents want it, students want it, the schools want to expand, but the politicians still are their teachers union. Yeah.

1:13 Speaker 1 Why the teachers’ union has been to the judge’s point because these schools are public schools, but they’re allowed to operate outside the system.

1:21 Speaker 3 They can require kids to wear uniforms, they can have different hours, they can have different programs, but they’re how to accountable based on how the kids do. And the last thing the teachers union wants is accountability. And I may state that a little over, but they really don’t want competition. They don’t want to change the system. The

1:39 system is failing the kids, which is why the charter school program is doing so well, because it’s succeeding for the kids and the parents know it. I just hope the politicians take their thumb off the scale so that we can have more charter schools and more kids get this opportunity.

1:54 Speaker 1 So governor protect, how do we change the dial so they have a wake up call they realize if kids is the bottom line.

2:00 Speaker 3 Goods as the bottom line. Absolutely, and I think the way to do it is parents and kids demanding more opportunity. And it’s not politicians. I mean, I’m happy to stand on a street corner and say how important this is.

2:14 But when you have low income, often minority parents going to the politicians and saying you are denying my kid a decent education, this has got to stop. I think there’s hope that we can get the mayor of the council and others to a great more schools.

2:29 Speaker 1 Governor Patterson, Governor, I remember I went to.

2:33 Speaker 4 One of those selection nights the lotteries, and the parents whose kids didn’t get in, I thought they were going to tear me in half because they just weren’t enough slots for the number of parents that were interested. And this was the issue that you turned me around on while you were governor.

2:56 Speaker 3 It took a little large as I recall, but they did, but it was very by the.

3:01 Speaker 2 Way, I just got a test from my friend Arthur, and not only those prices went up on the McDonald’s the McDonald’s, but the portions are smaller, and both the price club and and and and in the I mean, I see the way it’s reported. Yeah, I’m going the double check to make sure it’s correct.

3:25 Speaker 1 But that’s happening. You want go Patterson, Come on.

3:32 Speaker 3 The explanation from Biden administration is it’s corporate greed.

3:37 Speaker 1 Yes, that’s right. They blame it on everybody else. Everybody else well, or.

3:41 Speaker 3 Maybe the UK War.

3:46 Speaker 2 McDonald’s was making up for their losses.

3:48 Speaker 3 In Russia, something like that.

3:51 Speaker 2 Oh well, well, tell us how many charter schools are there now.

3:58 Speaker 3 I don’t know the number, but they’re they’re in They’re in the hundreds. And one of the great things about charter schools is if the school doesn’t work, it gets closed down. And that’s the way it should be, because you don’t want to force parents to send their kids to a school that can’t teach. And yet that’s the

4:13 case for most of the kids in much of New York City. And you know what really drives me nuts is the left always talks about income inequality, how we’re leaving the poor behind. It’s about education, and they deny often low income minority kids a decent education and somehow expect them to be able to compete. We need better schools,

4:33 better public schools. Charter schools do that.

4:35 Speaker 2 And I’m going to go to the Democratic side. Now, Governor Patterson, when you were governor, did just screw it up or anything?

4:41 Speaker 4 I mean, no, I gave the charter schools ten million dollars. Wow, Okay, yeah, yeah, but it was from an outside source.

4:55 Speaker 2 Did you calculate that as well and give us your evaluation and to chary to school’s why you were governor.

5:01 Speaker 4 I’ve been surprised that with the success that the charter schools have, that some people I know, who I think are very reasonable and really do care about kids, have not been willing to meet the charter school people halfway.

5:17 I’ve been very surprised at that I met them more than halfway. I went to a charter school event in Jacksonville, Wyoming in Colorado City, Colorado, because I wanted to learn about it, and other than State Center Malcolm Smith, I can’t think of anyone else that wanted to go with me.

5:36 Speaker 2 Wow, okay, I would have gone.

5:38 Speaker 1 Those are nice locations, all right,