cityhall.jpgApril's a busy season for New York City's 78 charter schools, which currently serve 18,000 students. This coming school year, 24 new charters will open, and charter-school advocates tout high demand. Since most of the city's charters receive more applications than they have seats, the law requires public lotteries to determine offers. April 7th is lottery day or "super Tuesday" for at least 27 city charters, and a stressful process for thousands of city families. Many parents feel that participating in the charter school lotteries is a high-stakes spin of the education wheel that could shape their child's future. (See the list of schools holding lotteries tomorrow after the jump.)

Charters are "open to ALL students, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, income or location," and are mandated to serve all students, regardless of disabilities, according to New York Charter Center VP for Communications Jeff Maclin. This means that students with special needs can't be excluded from charter lotteries, although Maclin couldn't say if or how schools review applications to be certain the students who apply can be served by their school's resources -- for example, can the needs of a student who uses a wheelchair or requires a special, self-contained class be met by an individual school. Charters don't wholly reflect city norms, as far as high-need students: According to Department of Education statistics, charters enroll many fewer students who are English Language Learners (3.7 percent at charters, compared with 13 percent citywide) and fewer students with special needs (8 percent at charters, 14 percent citywide).<!--more-->

Charters are also on the City Council's agenda this afternoon, as the Education Committee takes up the issue of charter school siting. Charters can rent, lease, or own their school spaces -- or, as is the case in many city neighborhoods, they can be 'inserted' into existing public schools, often without notification of the school community or public hearings, which runs counter to State Education Law. (See the Council resolution here.) In an increasingly frequent refrain, the resolution aims to "ensure more community participation" in the processes that define and shape the public schools.

Also on the charter agenda: Deep cuts to charter fundingin Governor David Paterson's proposed budget, which stands in counterpoint to President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan's frequently expressed commitment to develop charter school options for public school families. So it's charter schools, front and center, for wide debate -- and big decisions for thousands of kids and their families.

Here's New York Charter Center's list of schools with lotteries April 7th:

KIPP (four schools citywide)

Achievement First (five schools, all in Brooklyn)

MANHATTAN

Ross Global Academy

Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem

Harlem Day Charter School

Harlem Link Charter School

DREAM Charter School

Girls Preparatory Charter School (Manhattan)

BROOKLYN

Summit Academy (Brooklyn)

Coney Island Prep

Community Roots

Community Partnership

Brooklyn Prospect

BRONX

Icahn 3

South Bronx International Cultures

Bronx Charter School for Excellence

Bronx Lighthouse Academy

Hyde Leadership Charter School

The Equity Project

Ethical Community