Grassroots Report: The high price of charters
By Deborah Keisch Polin and Tim Scott
NORTHAMPTON — Once again, the Northampton public schools are facing a budget crisis. In a series of meetings in April, the mayor discussed a $1.3 million deficit for the city. What is rarely pointed out in budget discussions is that the amount that the school system pays to area charter schools has increased yearly, as more students enroll in those schools.
While our city and schools face that $1.3 million deficit, we will pay nearly $1.7 million in tuition to charter schools in this fiscal year.
Charters drain public schools of badly needed funds. When a student leaves the district, the money that follows is $5,000. However, when a Northampton student elects to attend a charter school, we pay what the charter funding formula dictates. According to estimates for the next fiscal year, when a Northampton student opts for the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, our district will pay an estimated $10,483 to that school
NORTHAMPTON — Once again, the Northampton public schools are facing a budget crisis. In a series of meetings in April, the mayor discussed a $1.3 million deficit for the city. What is rarely pointed out in budget discussions is that the amount that the school system pays to area charter schools has increased yearly, as more students enroll in those schools.
While our city and schools face that $1.3 million deficit, we will pay nearly $1.7 million in tuition to charter schools in this fiscal year.
Charters drain public schools of badly needed funds. When a student leaves the district, the money that follows is $5,000. However, when a Northampton student elects to attend a charter school, we pay what the charter funding formula dictates. According to estimates for the next fiscal year, when a Northampton student opts for the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, our district will pay an estimated $10,483 to that school