March 28, 2009
OUTLINING HIS proposed budget to the D.C. Council, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) stressed his commitment to education. We applaud that commitment and the mayor's efforts to fund badly needed improvements in the public schools. But it's troubling that the mayor's prepared testimony had not one word on charter schools, which educate 36 percent of the District's public school students. Even worse, his proposal to radically change how these schools are funded could well stunt a key component of education reform in the District.
The $10.3 billion spending plan for 2010 that Mr. Fenty released last week eliminates hundreds of jobs, uses federal stimulus money and imposes new fees to offset the loss of $802 million in local revenue. The proposal, which contains $5.4 billion in local funds, would increase education spending at a time when most agencies' budgets will be cut. Particularly noteworthy is the mayor's support of a 2 percent increase in the local per pupil funding formula. Charter schools would benefit from that increase and, because of increased student enrollment, would get a 10 percent bump in operating funds.
What is worrisome is a proposal to fundamentally alter the facilities funding for charters, which aren't guaranteed public space. In place of the current $3,109 per student per year, the mayor's budget proposes that charter schools submit "allowable costs" to the D.C. Public Charter School Board, which would use a sliding scale of $1,000 to $3,109 per student. There is no question that the current funding formula produces inequities between charters that have different needs and demands. But the mayor's plan would prevent charters, many of which are crammed into inadequate spaces, from saving money to build up the capital reserves needed to secure bank loans to obtain new space.
Commercial space is the only option for schools that are shut out of public school buildings. Some charters are fearful their current loan arrangements could be upended. Compared with traditional public schools, the charters already operate at a funding disadvantage, and the extra facilities funds help narrow the gap.
No doubt the mayor, who has staked his political reputation on improving the traditional schools, is feeling some heat: The latest audited enrollment figures showed the biggest charter increase since 2000, up 17 percent, while the public schools' enrollment fell 9 percent. But the measure of success for Mr. Fenty should be how many students have access to decent schools -- not whether those are charter or not. Impeding the growth of schools that have demonstrated success in raising test scores is to no one's advantage; it most certainly will not help Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee improve the traditional public schools.