Charter schools spared from D.C. Council cuts
By: Michael Neibauer
Examiner Staff Writer
May 14, 2009
The D.C. Council made a last-minute decision to spare the District’s charter schools from any cuts tied to the possible overprojection of enrollment next school year, choosing instead to put the full brunt on the public schools.
Citing a projected 3,076-student increase they rejected as fantasy, council members on Tuesday set aside $27.5 million from the D.C. Public Schools fiscal 2010 budget pending an enrollment audit expected in the fall. Council Chairman Vincent Gray and staff initially sought to take one-third from the charters and two-thirds from DCPS, but ultimately chose to spare the former.
Charter schools fared well in the now-adopted $5.4 billion fiscal 2010 budget, as the council also restored $16.7 million in cuts proposed by Mayor Adrian Fenty — primarily by slashing Fenty’s summer jobs program.
The estimated school enrollment jump for 2009-2010, from 70,000 to 73,000 between both public and charters, pertains almost solely to DCPS, which has lost roughly 20,000 students over the past decade. The $27.5 million, which breaks down to $8,945 for each of the additional students, will be released only if Chancellor Michelle Rhee can demonstrate the enrollment increase is real. Rhee fired off a letter to Gray condemning the cut and warning that more than 300 teacher jobs will be lost if the council doesn’t return the money immediately.
“The early and comprehensive school budget process has allowed us to identify school-based vacancies,” Rhee wrote. “As such, we have now begun to recruit teachers to fill these positions to ensure a smooth and successfully [sic] opening in August. The Council Amendment forces us to stop this work, reduce school budgets, revise school positions and begin again the recruitment process.”
Gray responded: “If they are convinced the numbers will be there, then they should just proceed on.”
