According to an article in today's Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Pittsburgh Public School District received identical letters from 5 Pittsburgh Charter Schools seeking to change what is counted under the existing funding formula for school districts across the state -- a change that could affect districts throughout the state.
The five charter schools -- Urban Pathways 6-12, Urban Pathways K-5, Environmental Charter School at Frick Park, Manchester Academic and Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School -- wrote that "improper" deductions cost them a combined more than $2 million for 2011-12 from the city district alone. (emphasis mine)
Pittsburgh Public Schools has plans to furlough over 250 teachers next month due to its current fiscal challenges. Pittsburgh Public Schools projects remarkable funding deficits through 2015.
Pittsburgh Public Schools has plans to furlough over 250 teachers next month due to its current fiscal challenges. Pittsburgh Public Schools projects remarkable funding deficits through 2015.
Pittsburgh Public Schools, like districts across the Commonwealth and the country, is facing daunting financial challenges. When the District adopted the budget for calendar year 2011, the problem was smaller but still there – and showed an $8.7 million deficit for 2011 and a $53.6 million deficit for 2012.With the announcement of the Governor's proposed funding cuts in March 2011, the District's projected budget deficit grew to $68 million for 2012 and nearly $100 million in 2015.
Charter schools are public schools for which students do not pay tuition, but home districts pay a fee set by the state.
In 2011-12, Pittsburgh was required to pay $13,047 for each regular education student who lives in the city and $28,555 for each special education student at a charter school.
That figure is based on the district's per pupil cost, modified to exclude certain expenditures such as nonpublic school programs, student transportation and facilities construction.
In a letter to state Education Secretary Ronald Tomalis, Jon McCann, principal and chief executive officer of the Environmental Charter School at Frick Park, maintained the form used for the calculation contains "flaws."
The letter contends the charter school law lists seven deductions but the deduction form "as drafted by previous administrations, improperly allows additional deductions," citing 14 categories of federal funds that are deducted.
Without the 14 deductions, the letter states, Pittsburgh would owe Frick Park an additional $2,301 for each regular education student and $5,400 for each special education student -- or an additional $683,601 for 2011-12.
In an interview, Mr. McCann said the issue has been discussed for a long time, but now, "money is tight ... we do a lot for less than the school districts. We want as many dollars in front of our students as we possibly can."
Charter schools get less money to spend per child than the districts that fund them - the urban pathways school in the article recieves 59% of what the district spends per student (which I think is considerably less even taking into account the money excluded for transportation and faciliies costs). While I'm admittedly biased, when money is tight I don't blame them for asking to have these deductions excluded. What I do take offense at though is a supposedly unbiased journalist stating "With charter schools already costing Pittsburgh Public Schools more than $47 million a year, school officials are concerned about a charter school challenge that, if successful, could cost the district more than $2 million a year." Charter achools are educating children, not taking money away from districts.
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely a public education funding crisis and its effects are felt everywhere.
ReplyDeleteCharter schools and traditional public schools should receive funding based on EACH child they serve. The reality is that some children need more resources and therefore cost more to educate.
But, except for children with exceptionalities, that is not how the current funding system operates in PA. Funding cuts are disproportionately allocated to districts with the most poverty and the highest needs.
There is a way to change the funding formula so the money follows the student based on his needs.
Baruch Kintisch, Director of Policy Advocacy, Education Law Center, testified before the Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee on July 17, 2012. Here is a link to his testimony. Let me know what you think.
http://www.elc-pa.org/ELCTestimonyHDPC_7_17_12.pdf