The Washington Examiner
Charter schools crying foul over DCPS contract
By Leah Fabel
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The District's charter schools are clamoring for more public dollars and threatening a lawsuit as the city's traditional schools approach what would be a lucrative teacher contract.
Charter advocates worry that the proposed contract --with healthy pay raises and the potential for thousands of dollars in bonuses -- would draw the highest-performing teachers back to DCPS.
That scenario drew little sympathy from members of the D.C. City Council at a recent budget hearing.
"What about the law says that this [labor] agreement would affect charters?" said Muriel Bowser, D-Ward 4. "I'm always a little surprised by the desire to be separate, except when it's really good."
Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, a vocal supporter of charters as healthy competition to traditional schools, nodded along with Bowser's remarks.
But what appears to be healthy competition is based on an unfair starting point, said Barnaby Towns, spokesman for Friends of Choice in Urban Schools.
"I agree [with competition], except that charters should get the same amount of public money," Towns said. "Even trying to poach teachers is fine as long as the public funding equity is there, which it currently isn't."
Charter schools receive about $8,800 per student for operating expenses and about $2,800 per student for facilities -- everything from renting or building a school, to upkeep, heating and cooling.
Actual spending on facilities is closer to $4,800 per student, according to the D.C. Public Charter School Board. The facilities budget for DCPS averages about $6,000 per student.
In addition, charter schools do not receive funding from the city for teacher pensions and are not given shares of various funding streams outside of local dollars.
Some charters are considering a lawsuit, Towns said, adding that the city's funding violates the School Reform Act passed in 1996, which guarantees equal funding.
"Charters have a very legitimate grievance," said Andrew Rotherham, founder of Bellwether Education Partners and a former charter trustee, adding that there's "no good rationale" for the unequal facilities funding.
He commended Rhee for her efforts in crafting a good contract for her teachers, but said that the city could be more aggressive in support of charters.
"In New York, the chancellor is renting vacant schools to charters for $1 per year," Rotherham said.