NEWS
- Collaboration between D.C. charters, traditional schools a contentious issue [FOCUS mentioned]
- Mayor Bowser increases charter schools per pupil facility fund [FOCUS, Washington Latin PCS and DC International PCS mentioned]
- D.C. tops best states for preschool access
Collaboration between D.C. charters, traditional schools a contentious issue [FOCUS mentioned]
Watchdog.org
By Moriah Costa
May 14, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The D.C. Public Charter School Board says it wants to enhance school quality and increase choice for all students in the city, but some parents and activists are worried.
They fear a lack of collaboration and transparency between the D.C. Public School district and the charter school sector would threaten neighborhood schools. Others worry collaboration is code for restricting charter growth.
Scott Pearson, executive director of the D.C. Public Charter School Board, said in an email the board wants to work with public school district and public officials to identify and address students’ greatest needs.
But some activists want government officials to ensure new charters don’t threaten neighborhood schools.
The Coalition for DC Public Schools and Communities, a group of parents and activists, have called for the city to adopt six principles, which, they say, will help ensure quality schools.
One of those principles calls for the D.C. Public Charter School Board and the D.C. Public School district to invest in “stable DCPS neighborhood schools” and establish charter schools as an “alternative option,” with stronger oversight from city officials.
So far, more than 200 community members have signed on.
The sectors already collaborate on two projects: My DC Lottery, the centralized enrollment application for charters and out-of-boundary neighborhood schools, and the Equity Reports, an annual report on test scores, ethnicity and suspension rates between charters and traditional schools.
Robert Cane, executive director of Friends Of School Choice in Urban Schools, said “collaboration” is another way of making sure public schools get their share of enrollment.
“It’s a way to centralize important decision making so that the charter schools don’t take anymore of DCPS’s market share,” he said.
While Cane said he isn’t against collaboration on a school level, broader planning between the sectors would hurt parental choice.
“What we all need to be thinking about is how do we get more quality seats, and that requires DCPS to do a better job of educating kids, not to prevent charter schools, who are doing a good job of educating kids, from educating more of them,” he said.
Nina Rees, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said collaboration between charters and districts is great when it comes to things such as sharing space, applying for grants and sharing best practices. But, she said, it shouldn’t take choice from parents.
“You want to have some method to the madness, but I also think there’s one thing that charter school leaders need to know about and be savvy in (and that) is determining where to set up their schools to attract as many parents as possible, and those who decide where to send their kids ought to be families, not the school system,” she said.
Other parents and advocates want more collaboration when it comes to opening or closing new schools. At a public hearing in April on five charter school applicants, critics voiced concern about the lack of planning and community involvement, which, they say, should come from government leaders and not the charter schools.
“This lack of planning results in an inefficient use of our tax dollars that go towards education, has a detrimental impact on both existing charter schools and the D.C. public schools, and creates more open seats than the city has students to fill them,” said Susan Wells, a D.C. resident who has a fourth-grade daughter at Tyler Elementary Spanish Immersion program.
In response to calls for collaboration, a group of charter school leaders published a letter, saying “if collaborative planning is now an idea whose time has come, the charter school community eagerly accepts the call to participate.”
The letter outlines what charter leaders define as their basic principles, which include equal funding between traditional and charter schools, access to high-quality elementary schools, specialization and choice of middle and high schools, sharing facility space with charter schools and ensuring the D.C. Public Charter School Board remains the only authorizer of charter schools. The letter says charter and traditional schools should collaborate on research projects and share data to ensure the schools are meeting students’ needs.
Mayor Bowser increases charter schools per pupil facility fund [FOCUS, Washington Latin PCS and DC International PCS mentioned]
The Examiner
By Mark Lerner
May 14, 2015
In a surprise move yesterday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that she had found money to increase the charter school per pupil facility fund. Even more astonishing is that additional funds would be added for this fiscal year and for 2016. The press release announcing the change states that there would be a jump of $62 per student now with an additional $85 per pupil included in next year's budget request.
The extra $62 brings the facility fund to $3,134 per student which beats the high of $3,109 that it stood at before it was reduced years ago by the Fenty Administration. It generally stood at $3,000 before Mayor Gray increased it to $3,072 as part of his last budget before leaving office. The action means that the average charter school of 400 students will see about an extra $25,000 this year and $34,000 more next term for a total of just under $60,000.
What is most interesting about the augmented funding is that it represents $2.3 million more for the local charter movement in 2015 with an additional $3.2 million coming in 2016. In other words it appears that the $4 million in capital money that was passed into law by the D.C. Council and approved by Mayor Gray for Washington Latin PCS and DC International PCS, and which Mayor Bowser blocked due to the current budget deficit, is now being distributed instead among all schools.
It is a reasonable approach to say that two schools should not be singled out for special treatment when it comes to facility funding. But don't get me wrong, we are miles away from fairness on this issue. The Deputy Mayor for Eduction Jennie Niles had this to say yesterday about the proposed spending increase, "“Improving equity has been a top priority since I began this role. We recognize disparities exist, and I am looking forward to ensuring our sectors are working together to end them.” Friends of Choice in Urban School estimates that the per pupil facility fund for fiscal year 2016 for DCPS stands at $8,129.
D.C. tops best states for preschool access
The Washington Times
By Herb Scribner
May 13, 2015
Preschool education might not be for everyone.
Our own Eric Schulzke reported on the national debate over universal pre-K education for children in November 2014.
Some, like President Barack Obama, have openly endorsed universal pre-K because it helps set children on a path toward life and career success, Shulzke reported.
“Research shows that one of the best investments we can make in a child’s life is high-quality early education,” Mr. Obama said in his 2014 State of the Union address.
But others have spoken out against it. Mr. Schulzke’s article pointed to David Armor, a professor of public policy at George Mason University, who said that preschool education can be too costly.
The difference in opinion over pre-K education can be seen across different states, too. Some states fund more preschool programs than others, while other states don’t fund preschool education at all.
The National Institute for Early Education Research released a report this week called “The State of Preschool,” which broke down how much financial support and access each state has for preschool education.
The report also looked at how many 3- and 4-year-old children are enrolled in pre-kindergarten in the state and how much access these children have to preschool education.
Here’s a look at the states and locations that have the best access for preschool education.
1. District of Columbia
The report said that 82.9 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds in the nation’s capital are enrolled in pre-K education.
2. Vermont
Vermont is full of trees and maple syrup, but it’s also where children like to attend preschool. The report says that 58.7 percent of Vermont’s youngsters enroll in pre-K education.
3. Florida
Florida isn’t just home to retirees. The report says that 39.7 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds in the state enroll in pre-K education. Florida doesn’t have any program for just 3-year-olds.
4. Oklahoma
The report says that 38.2 percent of Oklahoma’s youngsters enroll in pre-K education. Like Florida, the state doesn’t have pre-K education for just 3-year-olds.
5. West Virginia
The preschool report says 40.3 percent of West Virginia’s 3- and 4-year-olds attend pre-K education. The state also has a significantly high amount of 5-year-olds who attend, according to the report.
6. Wisconsin
Those cheeseheads are getting their education in early, as 33.6 percent of the state’s 3- and 4-year-olds attend preschool.
7. Georgia
Georgia’s where the peaches grow, and where youngsters attend preschool, too. The report said 30.1 percent of the state’s 3- and 4-year-olds attend pre-K schools.
8. Iowa
Iowa’s parents embrace pre-K education, with 31.9 percent of the state’s youngsters attending pre-K.
9. Texas
Everything’s bigger in Texas, especially the amount of children attending pre-K. The report said that 28.9 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds attend preschool.
10. New York
Not many of New York City’s 3-year-olds attend preschool (0.1 percent, in fact), but the state’s overall number of enrolled 3- and 4-year-olds rests at 21.7 percent.
11. South Carolina
South Carolina isn’t far behind New York, as 22.7 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds attend preschool in the Palmetto State.
12. Arkansas
Arkansas ranks 12th on the list, with the majority of its young students enrolling at 5 years old. The report said 25.3 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds attend preschool.
13. Maryland
Not far from D.C., which leads the list, Maryland has 20.2 percent of its kiddos attending preschool. Maryland doesn’t have any preschool programs for 3-year-olds.
14. Maine
In Maine, 17.7 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds are enrolled in school. The state does not have a program just for 3-year-olds.
15. Louisiana
Like Maryland, Louisiana doesn’t have any program for just 3-year-olds. But the state does boast high numbers for 4-year-olds, reaching a total of 15.9 percent for 3- and 4-year-olds.
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