catalyst-chicago.org

TFA

Interesting story on the TFA move into politics. That organization gets creepier by the minute. I read once that their wanting to jump straight from their two-year classroom stint into policy-making positions is akin to a former Peace Corps volunteer jumping from their two-year stint into an ambassadorship with the State Department. I found the comparison apt.

re: Tribune article on concerns of charter leaders

I think the charter schools are right to be concerned about the possibility of CPS reducing its commitment to increase funding for charters in general, expand the sector, and increase funding for special education services in charters. While Access Living supports increasing funding to charter schools for educating students with disabilities we do have to recognize that according to the CPS budget (program code P111086) this increase is going to be very large. In FY 12 charter schools actually according to the budget received $23.7 million from CPS to help pay for their special ed teachers, this budget proposes to increase that amount to $41.5 million. By my math that is about a 75% increase.

Really such a dramatic increase needs to be justified by some level of documentation in the budget which is not there.
But I also do know that some charters are gun shy of students with IEPs because of the costs involved in educating these students. How CPS justifies this level of increase is simply by referring to the Gates Compact. Here is what CPS puts in its budget:
"The FY2013 per‐pupil rate for charter and contract schools was determined by the Gates Compact, a
months‐long effort to develop a fair funding formula to ensure that charter and contract schools were
fairly funded compared to quota schools. Members of the Portfolio Office and the Office of Budget and
Grants Management met with representatives from charter school operators over a series of meetings.
All areas of the CPS budget were reviewed to ensure that the per‐pupil rates represent a fair reflection
of the resources given to district schools.The per‐pupil rates under the Gates Compact rates are slightly higher than the rates used in FY2012, which found that in some areas—particularly special education and facilities—the rates paid were outdated or the funding formula was not current (such as for federal Title I or Title II funds). As a result,
the Gates Compact provides for increased reimbursement rates for special education teachers and for
facilities usage. All total, charter and contract schools will see a 5 percent ($23 million) increase in
funding, without factoring in additional students." (p. 34)

I think that it is important that this issue be appropriately documented because in the budget we can read: "Spending was also below budget in the school lunch fund, the general fund (where staff turnover was higher than budgeted), federal grants (where some carryover of funds is allowed) and in charter school tuition payments (where fewer students than projected were enrolled)." (page 8) We do know how many fewer, and we do know from the budget that in the program (P119050) that per student tuition to be paid out of the FY 12 budget was allocated at $328,411,761, but based on charter enrollment the amount distributed to charters was $313,226,173 in FY 12. This means that enrollment was $15.2 million under projection or 4.6% under projection. Last year CPS projected charter school enrollment to be 49,521 students (CPS FY 12 budget at page 269). On page 36 of this year's budget the final charter school enrollment was listed as 48,073 so we can determine charters had 1,448 students fewer than projected.

On page 43 of the FY 12 budget we can read: " The budget also includes $9.7 million to open 4 new charter schools to serve 1,450 students. An additional $6.7 million will support 1,000 expanded slots for new students at currently operating schools. Thirty-three charter schools continue their ramp-up to full operations by adding additional grades for their 3,000 students at an additional $22 million." While this statement is confusing it appears to me that last year CPS claimed charters would grow by at least 2,450 students, but the growth was apparently only 1,002 students (2,450 - 1,448=1,002).

I for one have a serious problem with this and CPS really needs to justify the increases to charter schools based on last year's really poor enrollment estimates for charter schools. If basic demographic analysis is correct and Chicago is losing school age population this will likely impact the charter sector too. This issue needs to be flushed out in a revised version of the CPS budget that will be voted on in August. Again I am not opposed to charter schools being appropriately reimbursed for educating students, but in the proposed budget that documentation is very much lacking.

Rod Estvan