May 8, 2009
CHARTER SCHOOL official Julie S. Doar-Sinkfield wishes she could be happier about the D.C. Council's bid to restore facilities funding for charters. After all, the council is proposing that all but 30 percent of a cut suggested by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) be reinstated. Nonetheless, Ms. Doar-Sinkfield knows that her school for the performing arts won't be able to accept as many students as had been hoped and that plans for new theater space will have to be put on hold. Students who attend public charter schools continue to get the short end of the funding stick from a city government not entirely comfortable with charter schools' growth.
At issue is how much charter schools, which have no guarantee of public space, should be given to acquire their facilities. Mr. Fenty proposed eliminating the current $3,109-per-student funding formula and requiring schools to submit "allowable costs." Thankfully, the council's proposal would nix that and restore $16.7 million of the mayor's $24 million cut. Despite the council's good intentions, that still amounts to a reduction of $309 per student. Schools that have borrowed money based on the current formula may encounter problems with their lenders. Some may have to shift resources from programs to make up the gap. As Ms. Doar-Sinkfield told us, $309 may seem a small sum, but such a per-student loss can be significant for a school such as the William E. Doar Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing Arts.
Without doubt, economic times are tough, and the city must cut its budget when revenue is declining. What's bothersome, though, is the disparate treatment of students in the charter schools and those in other public schools when it comes to facilities. The refusal of city officials to give charters access to unused school buildings has forced those schools into often-inadequate warehouses, retail spaces or church basements. Many have had to take out costly loans to buy or lease commercial property. Nonresidential public charter schools have less than half the square footage per student that other public schools have. And if the council proposal is adopted, charter advocates estimate, building funding for each charter school student ($2,800) will be less than half that for other District students ($5,829).
No one is suggesting that money be taken away from the regular public schools. It is important that the reform efforts started by Mr. Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee be sustained. But charter schools are public schools, too. They have offered a choice to thousands of D.C. children; they deserve the same level of commitment from the city.
