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Dollars and (common) sense
Earlier this month, editors of the Akron Beacon-Journal took issue with Gov. DeWine’s characterization of school funding provisions in his budget, calling it an “inaccurate portrayal” and lambasting “cuts” to traditional districts and “boosts” to charter schools and voucher programs. Their full comments are here. Aaron Churchill, Ohio Research Director for the Fordham Institute, wrote a response published this week by the ABJ challenging their take and explaining how the formula sends funds, rightly, to the schools where students are being educated—including charter and private schools.
New educational option in Elyria
Here’s a great look at the new campus of Spectrum Inspire in Elyria, a charter school dedicated to serving students with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. The beautiful new space previously housed the main branch of the local library and open house visitors seemed pleased that its educational mission would be able to continue into the future in this new way. Awesome!
New animus or old?
Massachusetts’ CommonWealth Beacon reported this week that Democratic politicians are increasingly turning against charter schools—both in the Bay State and elsewhere. As evidence, they cited recent decisions by Massachusetts Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler against five proposed charter school expansions brought to the state education board. Honestly, while there may have been some fleeting moments of détente over the years—both in the Bay State and elsewhere—such anti-charter animus seems never to have really gone away. And the use of bureaucratic levers to stymie charter school location and growth is a classic move from the playbook.
Definitely old school
Back in February, establishment of an all-girls charter school in suburban Indianapolis was blocked from proceeding when a local zoning board denied its needed change-of-use permit citing complaints from neighbors. The state legislature, currently debating numerous bills to support growth and funding of charter schools as we have been reporting here for weeks, has added zoning denials to its long list of policies that must be overhauled to encourage charter schools’ smooth operation and natural expansion, aiming to stop such spurious bureaucratic roadblocks in the future.
Funding stories to watch
Perhaps taking a page from the Hoosier playbook, legislators in Georgia are considering a bill that would require districts to share local tax revenue with charter schools. Supporters say passage would help alleviate long wait lists at dozens of charters across the state. The legislative session ends on April 4, so time is short for passage. Meanwhile, Kansas City Public Schools in Missouri haven’t successfully passed a bond issue in 58 years. Leaders are hoping that by partnering with charter schools to share the revenue generated, they will be able to break the drought. Early voting is already underway, with Election Day on April 8.
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