The Current
Win-win on contract
Editorial
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
We breathed a sigh of relief when we learned this week that D.C. chief financial officer Natwar Gandhi had certified the school system's controversial contract with city teachers.
Mr. Gandhi certainly had reason to be cautious: Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee had originally proposed funding pay raises with foundation money that trailed a number of strings. The private groups seeking to support D.C. reform had listed both annual test-score increases and Ms. Rhee's continued tenure as conditions of their continued support. And neither is certain.
Now, though, city funds have been reallocated to support the raises. Yet when the private money becomes available - as soon as the contract is ratified - those funds will help support the raises, and the reallocated city money can return to its originally intended uses. The raises are guaranteed, yet the foundations provide support. It sounds like a win-win.
When such a plan was initially floated, some charter school advocates raised equity questions. They said that because of facility funding, traditional public schools actually receive more public money per student than charters do, and they feared that using city money to cover the raises would further that inequity.
Assuming the new plan works, and no extra public money is used to fund the raises, concerns about greater inequity will be answered. After all, charter schools also receive money from private donors. Still, taxpayer contributions must be equal, and we trust local officials will lend an eye to parity as they work through future funding issues. We also hope they will address the longstanding disparity in facility allocations.