The New York Times article ‘New York Charter Schools Lag in Enrolling Hispanics‘ (June 14) notes that New York City’s charter schools, most of which admit students via random lotteries, enroll relatively more black students and fewer Hispanics than do New York City’s public schools. The New York Senate has passed legislation that will require New York City’s charter schools to admit ‘English language learning’ (read: Hispanic) students in proportions approaching their district’s demographic mix, even though Hispanics do not apply to charter schools at the same rate as do blacks. This legislation will force charter schools to enroll fewer African-Americans, in effect elevating Hispanics over blacks. It will destroy the random lottery system, which ensures that all applicants have an equal chance of gaining admission. Instead of mandating ethnic quotas, the legislature should free charter schools to do what they were created to do: teach.
