Quote:
Originally Posted by CMTAD
I can give you a New York opinion on charter schools. I'm against them. Period.
Every dollar that goes to charter schools is a dollar that does NOT go to public schools and further erodes the state support for public education. Further, each dollar not given to the public school system from the state has to replaced from some other source ... and that is usually the taxpayer. That would be me. So in the long run charter schools are actually being funded by private citizens, not the state.
I believe that all efforts should be made to assure that public education is fully funded by the state! Then perhaps with the right funding, the public education wouldn't be as stressed as it is today.
I won't get on my soapbox because it's New York based, but I'm against Delaware charter schools as well.
Charley
Five-time PTA President
Honorary Life Member of the New York State Congress of Parents and Teachers
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Charley, I'm totally conflicted with this stuff. I was President of my kids' Parent Teacher Organization for many years. I held various other positions as an officer when I wasn't President. This was in a public school, of course. Other than the Catholic Schools where we lived, there was one private school...no charters at all.
I did volunteer work directly with the students in the classroom for over ten years, and then I was employed by the public schools within their special needs programs for over fifteen years. I was *in* the classrooms (grade 1-12) all day every day. I've seen a lot. I believed totally in a free and appropriate education for all children.
I won't even try to explain what I encountered in the DE public school system after I moved to the area. It is a sub standard system. They have the highest ratio of private schools in the country...not charters...private schools. The state sanctioned charters in 1995 in order to try to regain students back into the system.
I certainly can't speak for New York State Public Schools. I do know that I am less than impressed with DE compared to PA Public Schools where I worked.
I agree totally, and I wish the money and the students would stay with the public schools. I also know that one district in DE (Christina) went broke a couple of years ago. Their budget was so mismanaged that they had to lay off teachers and the students suffered. The rank and file teachers work very hard and truly care. They are under the thumb of over-paid, top-heavy administrators. With NCLB in place they can't teach. They can drill facts so the kids pass tests, but what they turn out are little robots who can't think critically or problem solve.
I feel for the parents. They don't have the time to wait 5 or 6 years until something improves in their child's school. Besides, DE public schools haven't shown marked improvement for years....except those teaching to the standardized test from the Feds and State. They are not real results.
The money follows the kid, so if the public school doesn't have the child enrolled why should they get the money? In DE, the charters *are* considered public schools. The charters get less per student than do the public schools. The charters get no capital funding from the state as the public schools do. They are not asking for public money.
Do I wish things were different. OH, YES!! Do I think that charters are a band-aide. Yep. But someone *must* do something to help the kids in the here and now. I don't see a choice. I wish I did. These schools were set up by parents who were desperate to have their children educated.
Check to see how many of them there are in DE. I know I was surprised. There must be a reason for it.
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