A contentious debate on charter schools is opening up again after the New York State Senate quickly voted on a bill to raise the cap on charter schools from 200 to 460 in hopes of winning up to $700 million in federal Race to the Top grant money that the state missed out on in the first round of the competition.

VIDEO :: Education advocates debate the pros and cons of charter schools on NY1's Inside City Hall. more>

A new study by the Inde­pendent Budget Office (IBO) has found that charter schools receive less public funding per pupil than traditional stu­dents, which is causing a stir in the charter school move­ment on both sides of the aisle.

VIDEO :: New York Charter School Advocacy Day 2010 in Albany, NY, March 2010. more>

Although the state was named a finalist for federal education funds, Chancellor Joel Klein says there is still more work to be done to show it is serious about reforming education. But many at the community and grassroots level do not want to reform policies that the Obama Administration has advocated.

VIDEO :: NY1 reports that New York's becoming a finalist in Race to the Top did not stop the national day of education protests against proposed budget cuts. more>