Comments on: Morning Metro: Charter School Amendment Vote Today, Mobeta Mo-Open, Why Stargazing Matters

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:16:21 +0000

“do school systems have to spend the same amount per pupil for charter school students as they do for regular school students”
Pretty much. It’s a sort of trade-off, I guess. Money spent on a pupil in a charter school is not money spent on a pupil in a regular school.

By: Decatur Metro

Decatur Metro — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:38:54 +0000

From listening to the Superintendent address this over the past couple years, she’s mostly concerned about the potential funding lost per-student.

By: At Home in Decatur

At Home in Decatur — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:35:48 +0000

So funding for charter schools (except the few state-only schools) right now is local, right? Why are school districts ever motivated to approve them, no matter how good they are? It’s a loss of funding for them, right? Or do they save money because they only fund them at the level of the per pupil state funds they receive and many school districts spend way above that per pupil? Or do school systems have to spend the same amount per pupil for charter school students as they do for regular school students?

In other words, is this a control issue or a funding issue? If it’s mostly a control issue, I do not care as much. If it’s mostly a funding issue, I worry about anything that will syphon off funds from our already underfunded public school systems.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:24:43 +0000

There was a provision in the law that allowed the state to grant a charter to an individual local school even if the local school district had turned them down. Several districts, CSD included, sued claiming that the state constitution granted only local school districts the right to approve a local school, not the state unilaterally. The central issue was that, even if a local district had turned down a school, the state, through its approval, could force the local district to provide funds against its will. The supreme court ruled in the districts’ favor, negating the charter of a couple dozen schools. There are still a few state-only charter schools, but they don’t get any local funding.
The action in the legislature is to put up a state constitutional amendment that would allow the state to approve a local charter school over local objections. Naturally local districts are against it for reasons stated. The legislative action is just the first step; if approved (which requires a 2/3 vote in both houses), a state constitutional amendment would be placed on the November ballot (I assume, maybe July).

By: Mr. Boh

Mr. Boh — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:44:22 +0000

“I am still don’t understand.” Maybe I should have gone to CSD schools so my grammar would be a little better.