Strategic Defunding of Charter Schools

[TheCat]

Florida school districts (which have the same boundaries as counties) are required by state law to provide the same level of funding for Title 1 charter schools as they provide for Title 1 district schools.

A Title one school, in a nutshell, means a particular school has surpassed a threshold of low-income students. Schools that are Title 1 schools receive a per student bump in funding. The dollars are federal, but states determine how to distribute those dollars.

In Duval, and it looks like it may be happening across the state, the money that should be going to Title 1 Charter schools are cut through budgetary "trickery". This type of reduction in funding wasn't the case several years ago.

The Title 1 dollars are broken up into two pots. One pot, a straight dollar per student distribution. Both charter and district schools receive the same level of dollars from this pot. The other pot goes to district level programs catering to Title 1 district schools. This means charter schools are not receiving the legally required $$$ as districts schools.

I know there is still lingering controversy over charter schools and in Florida that debate is essentially dead; charters are probably here to stay. However, the districts are getting savvy on handicapping their charter peers and ultimately handicapping the students that attend these types of public schools.

Charters, FYI, are supervised by the district and often viewed as competition not as co-laborers.



 

[brainstormer]

Not exactly true. Any district level positions or programs funded out of Title 1 are required to offer their services, but charter schools do not have to accept the service or program. As part of their "autonomy" they can refuse service and they often do because they don't want the kind of support being offered.

[Adam White]

However, the districts are getting savvy on handicapping their charter peers and ultimately handicapping the students that attend these types of public schools.

Good. Charter schools are a scam and should be killed in any way possible.

I agree. They should get rid of charter schools (and get rid of magnet schools while they're at it).

[FlaBoy]

However, the districts are getting savvy on handicapping their charter peers and ultimately handicapping the students that attend these types of public schools.

Good. Charter schools are a scam and should be killed in any way possible.

How many charter schools have you been to? Great idea though. Put the poor kids back in their sh** schools where they belong. Competition is awful because before charters low income populated schools were just thriving.

Remember, you get to close down bad charter schools after two bad years...not so with bad public schools. There are a lot of bad charter schools that should be closed and hopefully will. But there are a lot of charter schools serving low income populations that are absolutely incredible.

[Adam White]

However, the districts are getting savvy on handicapping their charter peers and ultimately handicapping the students that attend these types of public schools.

Good. Charter schools are a scam and should be killed in any way possible.

How many charter schools have you been to? Great idea though. Put the poor kids back in their sh** schools where they belong. Competition is awful because before charters low income populated schools were just thriving.

Remember, you get to close down bad charter schools after two bad years...not so with bad public schools. There are a lot of bad charter schools that should be closed and hopefully will. But there are a lot of charter schools serving low income populations that are absolutely incredible.

A school cannot just 'fail' or be 'bad'. It's the people involved with them that are the problem. And if that's the case, there is no reason why the problem can't be fixed. The solution is not creeping privatisation of public education.

[BridgeTroll]

Sure it can. Duval has more than a few. My daughter was going to be forced to go to a violent and nasty F rated school.  Luckily we managed to get her into a private school. I know most cannot do what I was able to do.  Charters are an option. Some are good...some are not.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

A school cannot just 'fail' or be 'bad'. It's the people involved with them that are the problem. And if that's the case, there is no reason why the problem can't be fixed. The solution is not creeping privatisation of public education.

When you say, 'the people involved', are you referring to students, parents of students or faculty or a combination of the three?

[FlaBoy]

However, the districts are getting savvy on handicapping their charter peers and ultimately handicapping the students that attend these types of public schools.

Good. Charter schools are a scam and should be killed in any way possible.

How many charter schools have you been to? Great idea though. Put the poor kids back in their sh** schools where they belong. Competition is awful because before charters low income populated schools were just thriving.

Remember, you get to close down bad charter schools after two bad years...not so with bad public schools. There are a lot of bad charter schools that should be closed and hopefully will. But there are a lot of charter schools serving low income populations that are absolutely incredible.

A school cannot just 'fail' or be 'bad'. It's the people involved with them that are the problem. And if that's the case, there is no reason why the problem can't be fixed. The solution is not creeping privatisation of public education.

Wow. Why have we not thought of this before? It just takes other people being involved. You figured it out!

[Adam White]

However, the districts are getting savvy on handicapping their charter peers and ultimately handicapping the students that attend these types of public schools.

Good. Charter schools are a scam and should be killed in any way possible.

How many charter schools have you been to? Great idea though. Put the poor kids back in their sh** schools where they belong. Competition is awful because before charters low income populated schools were just thriving.

Remember, you get to close down bad charter schools after two bad years...not so with bad public schools. There are a lot of bad charter schools that should be closed and hopefully will. But there are a lot of charter schools serving low income populations that are absolutely incredible.

A school cannot just 'fail' or be 'bad'. It's the people involved with them that are the problem. And if that's the case, there is no reason why the problem can't be fixed. The solution is not creeping privatisation of public education.

Wow. Why have we not thought of this before? It just takes other people being involved. You figured it out!

Apparently we didn't - we just built new schools instead of bothering to fix the ones with issues.

[Adam White]

The whole thing stinks and represents the inevitable race to the bottom that occurs when people decide that public services either have to generate a profit or be cost-neutral.

[BridgeTroll]

Pardon me... that I did not sacrifice my daughter on your public school altar

[Adam White]

Pardon me... that I did not sacrifice my daughter on your public school altar

Send her to private school and pay for it out of pocket. That's what the priviledged have been doing for ages.

[BridgeTroll]

Pardon me... that I did not sacrifice my daughter on your public school altar

Send her to private school and pay for it out of pocket. That's what the priviledged have been doing for ages.

I did... but certainly not privileged.  Most cannot do what I did... sooooo just "too bad for them"?  The school Duval wanted to send my daughter to was awful looooong before she was to attend.  Her attendance and my participation would not have changed a single thing about that hellhole.

Charters are not a perfect alternative... but they ARE an alternative...

[Adam White]

Pardon me... that I did not sacrifice my daughter on your public school altar

Send her to private school and pay for it out of pocket. That's what the priviledged have been doing for ages.

I did... but certainly not privileged.  Most cannot do what I did... sooooo just "too bad for them"?  The school Duval wanted to send my daughter to was awful looooong before she was to attend.  Her attendance and my participation would not have changed a single thing about that hellhole.

Charters are not a perfect alternative... but they ARE an alternative...

If you can and others can't, that's pretty much the definition of priviledge. I don't necessarily blame you - but I think the problem is that our priorities are wrong. And as long as the haves have other alternatives, there is no incentive to fix the problems. Things only get sorted when they begin to affect the rich white people. That's just the way it works, unfortunately.

[BridgeTroll]

Pardon me... that I did not sacrifice my daughter on your public school altar

Send her to private school and pay for it out of pocket. That's what the priviledged have been doing for ages.

I did... but certainly not privileged.  Most cannot do what I did... sooooo just "too bad for them"?  The school Duval wanted to send my daughter to was awful looooong before she was to attend.  Her attendance and my participation would not have changed a single thing about that hellhole.

Charters are not a perfect alternative... but they ARE an alternative...

If you can and others can't, that's pretty much the definition of priviledge. I don't necessarily blame you - but I think the problem is that our priorities are wrong. And as long as the haves have other alternatives, there is no incentive to fix the problems. Things only get sorted when they begin to affect the rich white people. That's just the way it works, unfortunately.

Dude... my family at the time was easily classified in the lower middle class.  Glad to hear you think that is privileged...  We scrimped and saved and sacrificed to do what we did.  The point of the charter school is to give families with NO OPTIONs... some options.  You seem to be saying... too bad for you... pretty harsh.