Federal

Backers, Foes Draw Battle Lines Over Mass. Charters

By John Gehring — May 19, 2004 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts has vowed to defeat efforts to slow the growth of charter schools in his state, after House lawmakers there approved a one-year moratorium on the independently operated public schools.

The measure, which passed the House of Representatives on April 28, would also halt the opening of five new charter schools already approved by the state education department until a new formula for financing charter schools is found. The Senate was scheduled to take up the moratorium issue this week.

The Republican governor showed no signs of backing away from charters when he visited Roxbury Preparatory Charter School in Boston on May 5 to award charters to four schools scheduled to open in the fall.

“Let there be no doubt, I will veto any charter school moratorium that reaches my desk,” Mr. Romney said at the school. “Charter schools provide more alternatives in public education and encourage innovation and excellence.”

Charter schools have become an increasingly contentious topic in Massachusetts.

Many school district leaders and public officials say the schools have created significant financial burdens for districts and towns because state funding follows students who leave regular public schools for charter schools. This school year, Massachusetts districts gave up a total of $138.5 million in state aid to charter schools, which enroll 15,884 students, according to education department data.

“Innovation and experimentation is a good thing, but it shouldn’t be done at the expense of schools and children,” said Kathleen A. Kelley, the president of the Massachusetts Federation of Teachers, a 22,000- member affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers.

‘Sheep’s Clothing’

District schools, she said, pay inflated per-pupil- expenditure costs for students going to charter schools because those costs include money for services such as special education that charter schools rarely incur.

“The costs have got to be more in line with what the actual per-pupil costs really are,” Ms. Kelley said.

Charter school advocates counter that districts are partially reimbursed by the state for those financial losses.

Massachusetts first gave charter schools the green light in 1993 as part of a broad education reform act. Today, 43 charter schools operate independently of the public school system, and seven, less controversial Horace Mann charter schools operate within districts.

Charter school proponents, including Commissioner of Education David P. Driscoll and a majority of the state board of education, say that while it may be necessary to review charter school funding, the schools have in some cases produced impressive results.

At Roxbury Prep Charter—which Gov. Romney visited two weeks ago to renew the school’s charter and award charters to new schools—scores on state exams in mathematics and English, for example, are some of the best in the state for a school that is largely Latino and African-American.

But the results are mixed on charter school performance across the state.

While a Boston Globe analysis found that more than 60 percent of urban charter schools had better test scores than did comparable noncharter schools, more than half the charter schools around the state scored below average on the math and English exams.

The state board of education has shut down only one charter school: In 2002, the state revoked the charter of Lynn Community Charter School because of organizational and academic shortcomings.

According to the office of Mayor Edward J. “Chip” Clancy Jr., the city of Lynn lost $7.6 million to the now- defunct charter school from 1997 through 2002.

Despite the failure of the school and the fiscal impact, a new charter school with different owners is scheduled to open in September against the wishes of the mayor and nearly every other public official in Lynn.

Mayor Clancy has called charter schooling a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” that drains dollars from regular public schools and diverts resources to untried, mostly for-profit schools.

According to Bill Bochnak, the mayor’s deputy chief of staff, as state education aid to the city has shrunk over the past two years, 270 teachers and other employees have been laid off in the 15,000-student Lynn school system. Kindergarten and pre-K programs have also been eliminated. A new charter school, Mr. Bochnak said, would cost the district $800,000 in its first year.

A version of this article appeared in the May 19, 2004 edition of Education Week as Backers, Foes Draw Battle Lines Over Mass. Charters

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Equity & Diversity Webinar
Classroom Strategies for Building Equity and Student Confidence
Shape equity, confidence, and success for your middle school students. Join the discussion and Q&A for proven strategies.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Disrupting PD Day in Schools with Continuous Professional Learning Experiences
Hear how this NC School District achieved district-wide change by shifting from traditional PD days to year-long professional learning cycles
Content provided by BetterLesson
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal The Push for a $60K Base Teacher Salary Gains Steam as Bernie Sanders Signs On
Sanders' legislation complements a proposal in the House and comes as state lawmakers from both parties prioritize legislation to boost teacher pay.
6 min read
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., outlines his priorities during an interview in his Capitol Hill office, Feb. 7, 2023.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., outlines his priorities during an interview in his Capitol Hill office, Feb. 7, 2023.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal Q&A Ending 'Government-Run Monopoly' on Schools Is Top Priority for Rep. Virginia Foxx
The Republican chair of the U.S. House's education committee plans to pass parents' rights and school choice bills.
5 min read
House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., greets then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at the conclusion of a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on "Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.' Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 6, 2018.
House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., greets then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at the conclusion of a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington in June 2018. Foxx spoke to Education Week about her priorities as she becomes chair of the committee for a second time.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Federal Opinion Is This the Key to Unlocking Breakthrough Education Research?
An innovative federal R&D program for education is getting underway. Rick Hess and Jal Mehta discuss their mixed feelings about it.
5 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Federal Educators' Mental Health Gets New Attention in Federal Bill
The legislation aims to support the mental health of school staff as they report high levels of depression and work-related stress.
5 min read
Photo of stressed teacher.
iStock / Getty Images Plus