"Gov. Paterson proposes another 'freeze' in charter- school funding for next year -- at the same levels in place two years ago. Why discriminate against schools that work?
Now, money isn't everything. New York's charters -- independent, public schools -- have regularly produced better results for less: Despite never receiving close to the funding spent by regular, 'district' schools, they have raised the achievement of their students -- and outperformed test scores in the surrounding districts.
But the funding gap between charters and district schools -- already wide -- is growing worse with the state-imposed ceiling on charter funding -- and now the governor means to keep it in place for next year."
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/ny_slap_at_schools_that_work_rQ9AVABmOBO7fx01lKaJkJ#ixzz0fhtPjlRX
Now, money isn't everything. New York's charters -- independent, public schools -- have regularly produced better results for less: Despite never receiving close to the funding spent by regular, 'district' schools, they have raised the achievement of their students -- and outperformed test scores in the surrounding districts.
But the funding gap between charters and district schools -- already wide -- is growing worse with the state-imposed ceiling on charter funding -- and now the governor means to keep it in place for next year."
What school district or local government, pray tell, is forced to live on funding levels from two years ago? In fact, New York districts brought a lawsuit when the state merely delayed paying a fraction of this year's amount.
For the current school year, the Legislature severed the link between school-district spending and charters' funds by keeping charter-funding levels to last year's amount. This meant a nearly $50 million loss to charter schools ($29 million to charters in New York City) -- losses that will increase next year.
The Legislature imposed this freeze at the urging of the teacher unions, which wanted the cash to instead go to the coffers of school districts where the bulk of their members work. (Those teachers in nearly two dozen New York charters who are union members evidently don't matter much to the unions.)
But, you might ask, shouldn't charters share in the pain from government funding cuts in tough economic times? In fact, they already are, since they automatically see lower funding whenever district schools do -- so the funding freeze is effectively a double cut.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/ny_slap_at_schools_that_work_rQ9AVABmOBO7fx01lKaJkJ#ixzz0fhtPjlRX
