Critics: Charter schools drain money from public schools, towns
The debate about charter schools in Rhode Island heated up with dueling press conferences on Tuesday.
Students descended on the State House to rally against legislation they believe would be a death knell to the future of charter schools in Rhode Island.
While some education officials are in favor of the legislation, as they said these schools are draining resources away from traditional public schools, charter school supporters said the future of school choice is at stake.
“This isn't an out of balance system that cries for a permanent moratorium,” said Timothy Groves of Rhode Island League of Charter Schools.
Others said the unchecked growth of charter schools is putting a burden on local school districts, and by extension, the property owners who fund them.
“We're very concerned that the current charter laws are taxation without representation,” said Timothy Ryan of the Rhode Island School Superintendents Association. “It's a system we can't afford.”
When school districts hand over a per pupil cost for every student that leaves the district for a charter school, the school district still has to bear the burden of special education costs, as well as other expenses that would have been paid for through that per pupil expenditure.
“It's unfair to ask property tax payers to shoulder the burden of essentially a dual education system,” said Timothy Duffy of the Rhode Island Association of School Committees.
One example is Cumberland, where the superintendent said the increase in state aid they will receive next year will translate into $1,869 more per charter student, but only $26 for each district student.
“Our current system is simply defunding existing school districts for the creation of new charter districts,” said Cumberland School Superintendent Phil Thornton.
Groves wants to focus on the funding issue instead of putting the brakes on charter schools all together.
“We think that's wrong headed, that's over reaching, and it doesn't address the inequities that these folks were talking about with respect to funding,” said Groves. “We have professed to anyone who'll listen (that) we're willing to come to the table.”
Supporters of the current bills said their focus now is on what locals say on the future of charter schools. The next session they'll tackle will be the funding issue.
Both measures are in Committee at the State House.Critics: Charter schools drain money from public schools, towns - News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England: