ALBANY -- A group associated with Albany's charter schools sent out multiple fliers and likely paid for a push poll to kill the Albany school budget. At least three separate fliers were sent to Albany residents in the last two weeks that encouraged voters to reject the school budget and intentionally exaggerated a tax rate increase to mislead voters. A telephone push poll also asked city residents leading questions including if they were fed up with tax increases and wasteful spending.
A postal record, obtained by a Times Union Freedom of Information request, lists the customer who paid for the mailings as "School Performance." Tom Carroll, who founded the Brighter Choice Foundation -- which supports all of the city's 11 charter schools -- is on the board of School Performance Inc., according to the most recent public records available. Chris Bender, executive director of Brighter Choice, has also served on the School Performance board.
Albany's charter schools are currently reimbursed about $12,000 per student by the Albany school district. A defeat of the budget would have no effect on the charter schools, which received $30 million in Albany taxpayer money this school year....The battle between charter schools and traditional district schools has become pitched this year, particularly as revenues dwindle. City school officials lobbied against a proposal to grant charter schools access to low-interest public financing for new building projects and the district is the only one in the state that refuses to pay the state-mandated charter reimbursement rates, which were raised this school year. Albany's charter reimbursement rate is $14,072, but the district is only paying the previous rate of $11,712 per student...
http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/2011/05/despicable-charter-industry-tactics-in.html 
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