Politics
Attacked From Left, Charter Schools Fight for Right to Funding
Around the State
Indian River Charter High School | Credit: irchs.orgThough charter schools serve an expanding enrollment of more than 160,000 Florida students at nearly 500 campuses across the state, these free public schools receive little or no capital funding.
Senate Bill 1852, authored by state Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, seeks to change that by requiring local school districts to share their construction and maintenance money on a proportional basis with charters.
Without a revenue-sharing agreement, Wise says charters -- which are growing at a rate of roughly 10 percent annually -- are being shortchanged.
“We’re still not giving the right amount of money per student,” Wise observed.
But, as in previous years, school districts have fought any attempt at equity, complaining that they cannot spare any capital funds.
Officials from Broward and Miami-Dade counties estimated their school systems would "lose" a combined $65 million a year to charters if SB 1852 were enacted.
Progress Florida, a liberal advocacy group, jumped in to turn up the political rhetoric this session.
"Governor [Rick] Scott's extremist allies in the Legislature once again [are] working to take away badly needed funds from Florida's public schools," writes Mark Ferullo, Progress Florida chairman.
Having watered down House Bill 903, a companion measure by Rep. Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, Ferullo's group is circulating a petition targeting SB 1852, which it dubs "the Public Schools Deconstruction Act."
Charter providers reject the label and the rationale.
"The money should follow the child," says Lynn Norman-Teck of the Florida Consortium of Charter Schools.
"There is no reason that a child should be funded at a different level than at another public school option, whether it be a magnet or a district school."
Yet a national study found that Florida's charter schools receive, on average, 25.1 percent less per-pupil funding than their traditional district counterparts.
Adding fuel to the fire, the Ball State University report discovered that "local districts reduce charter school reimbursements from local funds, including capital and debt service funds."
The fiscal disparity persists even though state law directs that charters be funded "the same as" other public schools.
Because Florida does not recognize charters as "Local Education Agencies" for the purpose of funding, the Ball State study said charters cannot always access state and federal program funds directly. Instead, they must rely on district distributions -- which may or may not be forthcoming.
Norman-Teck and charter operators argue that, contrary to simplistic reportage in the mainstream media, public-education funds are not "district money -- they're public funds."
"You have to respect the [charter school] child and the child's parent who contributes these funds as taxpayers," Norman-Teck asserts.
Out of Florida's 67 counties, all but two levy what is known as the "2 mil" capital outlay tax -- now mandated down to 1.25 mils for construction and maintenance of school buildings. Only three districts allocate any of the proceeds to charters.
"All property owners pay, but charter school parents get no benefit from this tax," observes Gene Waddell, who helped start the Indian River Charter High School in Vero Beach.
"As charter enrollment is around 10 percent statewide and growing like a weed, this 10 percent is really disenfranchised from the benefits of that tax. They have to operate and teach in second- or even third-class facilities for the lack of money to make improvements or construct comparable buildings."
Comments (12)
Take the $25,000 per student and throw it in the ocean. No loss.
Perhaps the high cost of public education is tied to years of over regulating the industry and lawmakers piling on legislation mandating new textbooks that have the same information every year. Plus the FCAT testing materials that funnel millions into no bid contracts....the list of pork goes on and on.
We do need to take a good look at education but you have to look at it from a big picture perspective and understand that it is a cornerstone of the American Dream.
If you continue to think that your best interest is served by being able to move your child to a school away from "those kids of kids"...then you are a part of the reason why that dream is eroding.
The need for these funds depends more on the age of the building than the proportion of kids in them. An older building needs more maintenance.
In most cases charter schools lease buildings and don't own them but on the other hand public schools own much older schools on average.
So once again the simple argument for equity is not rational unless you do a facilities needs assessment and not a per student distribution.
The legislature and the charter school companies know this...but they believe they can fool the public with this.
Are you buying this?
Traditional public school can hardly maintain their schools and cant afford computers or buses from their capital funds. Now the legislature is pitting one against the other in an effort to shift funding to powerful private companies and utilizing equity as the argument.
If public schools were adequately funded then this would not be an issue. If this bill passes it will have a major negative impact on public schools but will benefit the major national charter school companies that will make millions.
You choose!
The taxpayers who earn the money have a right to have the best "Bang for the Buck" when paying for education. What is more fair than having the taxpayers fund all students equally? Everything the government does is inefficient for the simple reason that there is no "profit motive." You cannot have efficiency without competition. The public schools who want the funds must earn the students back with decent education results.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door." For the simple minded that believe the charter schools are taking public schools' money, that means start educating the kids better and the students will flock to get into public schools.
The main difference between charter schools and public schools is that charter schools are always working to improve there product and be more efficient, while public schools are always trying to get more money. Enough is enough, the trough is empty.
Well... let's explain. We have a charter school in our community and it handles all the criminals (AKA students) in the area. The school isn't an "F"... but the enrollment is. Let's give the whole story please.