Opinion: Charter School Students Deserve Equal Funding
By Lindalyn Kakadelis
Executive Director of the North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools
In the coming weeks, state lawmakers will consider a fundamental issue of fairness in public education: Should some students be educated with less taxpayer funding than others simply because their parents chose a different type of public school?
There is a stark difference in local education funding between public district school students and public charter school students. According to BEST NC, an education nonprofit, public charter school students in North Carolina received 37% less local funding than district school students in 2020-21.
A bill before the General Assembly (H.B. 219) would fix this disparity by requiring local administrators to fund public charter school and district school students equally.
First, some history. District school bureaucrats fiercely oppose funding equality even though the legislature required it in the law authorizing public charter schools in the mid-1990s. State courts upheld this requirement time and again over the next 15 years.
But in the waning days of the 2009-10 legislative session, public charter school opponents slipped into a “technical corrections” bill a change permitting district school administrators to hoard local funding.
The maneuver, which passed without debate, has cost public charter school students hundreds of millions of dollars since, including $108 million in 2021 alone.
H.B. 219, then, would return local funding rules to their original model.
Second, the “why.”
I believe public school funding should be for students, not systems. If we accept that premise, then it follows that all public school students deserve equal funding. A public charter school student is not worth 37% less than a district school student. All public school students are equally important and therefore worthy of equal taxpayer funding.
District school bureaucrats have offered numerous arguments opposing equal funding. On the surface, some of those arguments look compelling.
For example, district administrators argue their schools have services and programs that public charter schools don’t offer. Therefore, they say, district schools should have more local funding than public charter schools.
But it isn’t true that district schools offer certain programs and public charter schools offer none.
Public charter schools offer different programming. They do so because that is their legal mandate — they’re supposed to innovate and experiment, not mimic what already exists.
The Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technologies (NEAAAT) in Elizabeth City, for example, offers a comprehensive manufacturing program that certifies students for good-paying local jobs.
NEAAAT also partners with the U.S. Department of Education on its “competency-based education” framework — the only school in the state chosen for the project.
Alpha Academy in Fayetteville has a Drone Remote Pilot Institute that grants students FAA certification to commercially fly drones. Starting pay for drone pilots is $75 per hour.
The Sallie B. Howard School in Wilson offers a four-year biotechnology “major” with a rigorous college prep curriculum.
Other examples abound. Pinnacle Classical Academy offers logic and rhetoric classes. Vance Charter School participates in Future Farmers of America. Other charter schools provide college application camps, Saturday academies, character building workshops, innovative academic monitoring regimens, and more.
It isn’t reasonable to argue that public charter school students deserve less funding simply because their schools offer different services and programs. These different services and programs are the precise reason lawmakers created public charter schools in the first place.
And it isn’t reasonable for public charter schools to pursue their legal mandate of innovative curricula and programs while local bureaucrats withhold 37% of their funding.
Lawmakers will soon decide whether it’s fair for some students to be educated with less funding than others simply because of the type of public school their parents chose.
Public charter schools are meeting their mandate for innovative school programs. Their students deserve fair, not fractional, funding.
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14 Comments
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Vouchers will make a better America.
The only way charter schools will get equal funding is if they accept this tyrannical governments draconian formula. You see how well that’s working so far.
Public schools are a disaster. Johnston county has devolved into chaos. Can’t find teachers,students rule the school, teachers are not supported and admin only cares about moving up and won’t support staff. Charter and private schools are the future, as well as home school. Public schools will be the “public housing” of education in 3 years.
JoCo schools are a disaster because parents are not parenting their children, parents expect someone else to do it for them. Maybe if parents took control of their children, teachers could do their job of teaching instead of being a babysitter. Learning starts with the parent.
Parents have completely abdicated any responsibilities to the schools. Then, when the child isn’t successful, they blame the schools. Why anyone would go into the teaching profession is beyond me. They treat teachers like cattle, have taken away health insurance in retirement, blame them for everything. It is an environment I wouldn’t want on my worst enemy.
You are correct. No one in their right mind will go into teaching. Low pay, low funding, disrespect from parents, students, and the public at large, and an unfriendly attitude from local and state lawmakers whose aim it is to gut the public school system and champion charters and private schools. People will continue to flee as teachers leave, and the population of students left in public schools sees the best and brightest leave for greener pastures.
“Charter School Students Deserve Equal Funding” NOT with my tax dollars they don’t. I’m tired of paying more in taxes not having children than people that do have children. Why should they get a tax ride on me because I don’t have children? Their rug rats suck more out of the tax teat than I do. They chose to have children they should put more into the tax system to pay for their children sucking on that teat.
Amen @FDT!!! Why should I pay for things that I don’t use? I’ve never called the PD or FD, why should my tax dollars go there, too? I’ve never driven on half of the state/federally owned roads, why should my tax dollars go there, too? I’ve never visited or used any of the public libraries, why should my tax dollars go there, too? I pay for my own medical insurance, why should my tax dollars fund SSI, Medicare, Medicaid, or any of the SOCIALIST programs? We need to REMOVE the government from all of these, and let private industry in. Let people pay for only the services they use!!!
Why have separate public school systems if they don’t both have to follow the same rules?
If you have enough money to spend on a Private For Profit School, don’t ask the poor and older taxpayers to pay your bills. This is just another GOP give away of public taxes. Shame on them!
@FarmerJohn, you’re exactly correct. This is another example of the Communist Republican Tyrant’s buying votes with your tax dollars.
#AH2024
@farmerjohn Thank you. Those kids don’t have to eat like the public school kids Look at the salaries that the charter schools make. I have been to their homes and you would t believe how nice they are. And I’m those homes mostly 1 person works. Don’t tell me I’m lying because I have seen it.
Can anyone at the board answer, why are there 10 pages of job openings still posted? That’s 500 paid positions currently unfilled but funded. if the average salary is 30,000/yr that’s 15 million dollars not being spent. Bet they will ask for more money next year. Any county commissioner want to respond?
Looks like since the 3 fix it’s that got elected on the board have done nothing. Look at how many jobs have become open since February. Pay these teachers what they deserve and workers that actually work in the schools. Not the ones in the county building not doin nothing. They’re about to spend over 100,000 in out water bottle fillers in schools Lol get out of here how long does it take to fill a water bottle up and how long do you have to get to class in between classes. Is anyone thinking about these things. They’re gonna cause problems Yes they sound nice but it’s not needed right now. Brooks Moore stop spending money on unnecessary stuff. I know it’s not just you but anything the county ask for you do. Say I don’t think it’s necessary right now. Put money in our teachers pockets . Let’s vote everyone out on the board. EVERYONE. Even the superintendent. I use to like him but it’s like when he does something good they award him with money. That’s your job I’m not giving you these big bonuses to do your job. Why don’t y’all give these teachers more money in their checks. Also let’s get new principle