Report says state funding hurts charter schools

[steven]

Charter schools in Buffalo spend nearly $3,000 less per pupil than traditional city schools and "are being set up to fail" by the state's funding formula, said a report released today by a pro-charter school think tank.
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, headquartered in Washington, D.C., said district schools in Buffalo spend $13,197 per pupil, compared with $10,211 for Buffalo charter schools. That pattern is similar in other states and elsewhere in New York, the study said.

"Almost everywhere in America, including New York, these new-model public schools (charter schools) are sorely underfunded compared with district-run schools," Chester E. Finn Jr., president of the Fordham Foundation, said in a written release.

Those figures "should provoke a major fiscal equity debate - and perhaps litigation - across the land," he said.

The primary cause of the funding gap is that charter schools do not receive state funds to construct and renovate buildings.

Gary Crosby, chief financial officer for the Buffalo Public Schools, acknowledged that charter schools "do have a legitimate complaint about under-funding," but said traditional public schools suffer greatly under the state's charter school funding law.

"We are both being set up for failure," Crosby said.

He said the school system made $38.5 million in transfer payments to charter schools last year, and was able to recoup only a small portion of those costs through corresponding cuts in staff. Charter school payments are expected to be $50 million this school year.

Crosby also said the $3,000-per-pupil spending gap is misleading because the city school district pays some of the transportation, special education and textbook costs of charter schools.

Peter Murphy and Bill Phillips, representatives of the New York Charter Schools Association, said Buffalo's traditional schools should be able to better offset the $50 million in charter school payments by consolidating classes, cutting staff or closing buildings

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial...24/1073074.asp

[atotaltotalfan2001]

Originally posted by steven
Charter schools in Buffalo spend nearly $3,000 less per pupil than traditional city schools and "are being set up to fail" by the state's funding formula, said a report released today by a pro-charter school think tank.
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, headquartered in Washington, D.C., said district schools in Buffalo spend $13,197 per pupil, compared with $10,211 for Buffalo charter schools. That pattern is similar in other states and elsewhere in New York, the study said.

"Almost everywhere in America, including New York, these new-model public schools (charter schools) are sorely underfunded compared with district-run schools," Chester E. Finn Jr., president of the Fordham Foundation, said in a written release.

Those figures "should provoke a major fiscal equity debate - and perhaps litigation - across the land," he said.

The primary cause of the funding gap is that charter schools do not receive state funds to construct and renovate buildings.

Gary Crosby, chief financial officer for the Buffalo Public Schools, acknowledged that charter schools "do have a legitimate complaint about under-funding," but said traditional public schools suffer greatly under the state's charter school funding law.

"We are both being set up for failure," Crosby said.

He said the school system made $38.5 million in transfer payments to charter schools last year, and was able to recoup only a small portion of those costs through corresponding cuts in staff. Charter school payments are expected to be $50 million this school year.

Crosby also said the $3,000-per-pupil spending gap is misleading because the city school district pays some of the transportation, special education and textbook costs of charter schools.

Peter Murphy and Bill Phillips, representatives of the New York Charter Schools Association, said Buffalo's traditional schools should be able to better offset the $50 million in charter school payments by consolidating classes, cutting staff or closing buildings

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial...24/1073074.asp

That's fascinating, and also too bad. I'd be interested to know exactly how much of the $3,000 gap per pupil between public and charter schools in Buffalo is the result of the city schools paying some charter school expenses. That seems like a lame explanation, since nothing specific was offered to back it up.

Also: Anyone know if the city's charter schools are unionized?

[steven]

chaqrter schools in buffalo are not unionized

[crlachepinochet]

Originally posted by steven
chaqrter schools in buffalo are not unionized

There's a wad of savings!

[LaNdReW]

A teacher explained the charter school funding to me...not sure if he was propagana or not, I cannot find a third party to verify.

He said funding is based on total district costs divided by # of students. This gives you a per student cost.

Charter schools generally educate elementary age students.

Elementary students are signifigantly cheaper to educate than the "average" student.

He also told me they were going to re-adjust costs by grade.

Could the difference we are talking about be the difference between the grade average and the overall average??

[atotaltotalfan2001]

Originally posted by LaNdReW
A teacher explained the charter school funding to me...not sure if he was propagana or not, I cannot find a third party to verify.

He said funding is based on total district costs divided by # of students. This gives you a per student cost.

Charter schools generally educate elementary age students.

Elementary students are signifigantly cheaper to educate than the "average" student.

He also told me they were going to re-adjust costs by grade.

Could the difference we are talking about be the difference between the grade average and the overall average??

Good question! I wonder if the original report addresses the differences. Maybe it's online somewhere

[absolivious]

Sure sounds like BTF/NEA mantra to me.