Mayor de Blasio Delivers on Promise to Charter School, Provides Student Metrocards by the First Day of School

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, AUGUST 14, 2017**

Contact: Nicole Sizemore (718) 612-1429 nicole.sizemore@successacademies.org

MAYOR DE BLASIO DELIVERS ON PROMISE TO CHARTER SCHOOLS, PROVIDES STUDENT METROCARDS BY THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Starting a New School Year On The Right Foot  – Thousands of Success Academy Scholars Receive MetroCards By First Day of School For the First Time in 11 Years  

New York, NY — School has started for Success Academy families, and many of them may think they’ve won the lottery, for a second time. For the first time in 11 years, Success parents have not had to wait weeks — and be forced to spend thousands of dollars out of pocket — while the city takes its time to deliver MetroCards to charter students. In years past, the Department of Education routinely failed to deliver student MetroCards until mid- to late September, even though Success Academy and most other charters start school in mid-August. Last year, more than 2,500 students were affected, and collectively families — most of whom are low-income — were forced to spend more than $350,000 on their children’s subway and bus fares that should have been provided by the city. “Mayor de Blasio was true to his promise to provide MetroCards for the first day of school, and we are grateful,” said Success Academy founder and CEO Eva Moskowitz. “Starting the school year without having to explain to thousands of parents why their child’s MetroCard is MIA is a tremendous relief. Perhaps the Mayor really does want to improve his relationship with charters.” In an open letter Moskowitz thanked Mayor de Blasio for delivering more than 15,000 MetroCards to all Success Academies. By law, students at NYC public schools (including charter schools) are eligible for subsidized bus and subway transportation based on their grade and how far they must travel to school. The DOE delivers fully and partially paid MetroCards to schools at the beginning of the academic year so that children in need can use them. In years past, entire shipments of the cards to Success schools have gone missing. Others were sent to the wrong location or are incomplete. ABOUT SUCCESS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOLS

Founded in 2006, Success Academy Charter Schools are free public K-12 schools open to all children in the state through a random lottery. With 46 schools across Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens, Success Academy enrolls 15,500 students, primarily low-income children of color in disadvantaged neighborhoods: 77% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch, 95% are children of color, 12% are children with disabilities, and 8.5% are English language learners. Ranked in the top 1% in math and the top 1.5% in English on 2016 state proficiency tests, Success Academy schools received more than 17,000 applications for about 3,000 open seats this year.

For more information about Success Academy, go to Successacademies.org and virtualtour.successacademies.org. On Twitter at: 
@SuccessCharters
#InsideSucces