Unions and politicians are trying to kill the best hope for many disadvantaged kids.

Most New Yorkers are familiar with velvet ropes, the ones that can keep hopeful clubgoers waiting for hours to be admitted — and that, for the rich and the beautiful, are whisked aside.

But while we expect exclusivity in private life in New York City, it is startling to see the same phenomenon at work in our most public institution, the public-school system.

Annaly Lopez moved to Harlem two years ago when she and her young daughter Renee got a great deal on an apartment. But there was a catch: Her new building was zoned for P.S. 149, a notorious elementary school where 82 percent of third graders failed the state achievement tests and violence among students is common.

Charter schools disrupt the status quo in education and help low-income students succeed.

Fear? Anxiety? We get our kids excited about the challenge.

As budget negotiations came down to the wire in Albany, New York’s charter schools appeared on the verge of breakthroughs that would bring fairer funding and fairer access to classroom space.