The black and white signs dotted front lawns across the city: “Fair Funding for DC Kids.” A web address tracked to Friend of Choice in Urban Schools, an advocate for the city’s charter schools.
Most people have celebrated the District government’s huge investment in public education over the past three years, including the $1 billion to upgrade early 20th century facilities. If the Washington Teachers’ Union ratifies a new contract with the D.C. Public Schools, more will be spent, including $64 million from nonprofit foundations, to enhance classroom instruction.
But these advancements caused charter schools and their allies to have conniptions:
“D.C. is spending $4.5 billion between FY 2000 and FY 2020 to provide world class facilities for DCPS students — at a cost of more than $6,000 per student, per year for the next 35 years,” Barnaby Towns, a spokesman for FOCUS, told me. “Charter students have to convert grocery stores, warehouses, and office buildings to find a place to use for education.
“On the operation side DCPS gets tens of millions of dollars of services from the D. C. government to help them educate students. This includes funding for custodial, security, maintenance, retirement, nursing, mental health, and other services,” added Towns.
Charter schools’ incessant complaining forced the council to restore money to their 2011 facilities budget, which had been cut by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. Towns said they appreciate the $3,000 per pupil allotment. But he said the inequity continues.
The whining has become annoying — even for charter school fans like me. But, a recently released Ball University study means it probably will get louder.
Researchers there reviewed funding provided during 2006-2007 for traditional public schools and charter schools in 24 states and the District. Their conclusion: Charter schools are getting shortchanged.
In the District, charter schools received 41.2 percent less funding than DCPS. The authors appeared to have dumped everything but the kitchen sink in their per pupil totals: DCPS was $29,808 and charters was $17,525.
Charter allies shouldn’t get too excited. The report was done when DCPS had both state and local functions. And, study details don’t necessarily support the inequity complaint: In 2007, 77.4 percent of DCPS’ resources came from the District; 16 percent came from the feds. But 80 percent of charter schools resources came from the District while 10 percent was received from the federal government.
The most ludicrous example of inequality is the assertion that charter schools are harmed because the District pays retirement benefits to its teachers. In fiscal 2007, according to the report, the D.C. Retirement Board contributed $233 million toward teacher retirement, while the U.S. Treasury contributed an additional $68.6 million toward teacher retirement.
But, DCPS teachers are District government employees. They are entitled to those benefits.
Instead of droning, charter schools might join forces to collectively and creatively address their additional funding needs. Or, they can abandon the luxury of independence and join the DCPS.
Jonetta Rose Barras can be reached at [email protected].
