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With the Mayor’s budget proposal finalized near the end of the month, March was, as anticipated, a busy time for the public charter community. DC public education news covered the lack of financial parity in government policies and the DC government’s inequitable management of unused DCPS buildings. To keep you updated, here are our suggestions to catch you up with the news from last month.
It’s time D.C. Council funds charter schools fairly (The Washington Examiner, 3/4/12)
Tom Nida calls the DC government’s discrimination against public charters unwarranted given their growing enrollment alongside higher graduation rates, standardized test scores, and percentage of low-income students than those of DCPS. This is crucial considering that DC has one of the widest income inequality gaps out of all US cities. He refers to a report we jointly commissioned with the DC Association of Chartered Public Schools, “Public Education Finance Reform: Uniformity, Equity, and Facilities,” in explaining that “DCPS received additional funds and government services ranging from $72 million to $127 million over the past four to five years.”
In sum, Nida returns to an argument we’ve often made – that public charters are accomplishing more in the District with fewer resources than DCPS. For more on how DC public charters are excelling, click here.
Developers, schools line up for shot at Stevens Elementary (The Washington Post, 3/12/12)
Three public charter organizations have expressed their interest in the Stevens Elementary Building: the AppleTree Institute, Dorothy I. Height Community Academy PCS, and Eagle Academy PCS. According to DC law, public charters have the right of first refusal for any DCPS buildings. Sadly, these buildings are often granted to commercial developers instead. For more on our thoughts regarding Stevens Elementary and DCPS building use, read our blog entry on Stevens Elementary.
Commission: Charter schools likely to continue gaining on DCPS (The Washington Post, 3/15/12)
Despite the Public Education Finance Reform Commission’s lack of specific recommendations promoting financial parity for all DC public schools, Bill Turque illuminates several significant points the commission made in its findings. For instance, the commission foresees a 10% jump in public charter enrollment next year while anticipating only modest gains for that of DCPS.
Regarding facilities, the commission also predicts that “[e]ven if more public charter schools are co-located in underutilized DCPS buildings . . . DCPS will continue to have more space than it needs for its student population.” Here’s another article relevant to the facilities issue that breaks down the amount of government funds spent on unused DCPS buildings.
D.C. school budget: Parent, students decry cuts to high schools, librarians, special ed coordinators (The Washington Post, 3/28/12)
Amidst the various issues documented in the testimonies of public witnesses during the March 29 Council of the Whole hearing, FOCUS Executive Director Robert Cane and other public charter leaders reminded councilmembers of how DCPS frequently overestimates its enrollment and receives substantially more funding accordingly. Funding for public charter schools is based on actual enrollment figures following the October audit, rather than projections before the audit is conducted. To find out what public charter leaders and students said during the hearing, check out our Twitter page or search for #fairfunding on Twitter!