Recently Mike Butts a reporter for this paper provided some concerns and some comparisons on the costs to educate our students. He provided numbers for Caldwell, Nampa and two charter schools. Specifically, he stated that the Nampa and Caldwell school districts spent $5,474.00 and $5,739.00 per year per student respectively. He also stated that Liberty and Victory spent about $6,000.00 per student per year in fiscal year 2008. All correct but not complete.
Let me provide some other numbers for comparison. In Fiscal year 2008 Nampa spent about $3,000 per student and Victory and Liberty spent $0, yes zero. Obviously that is in error, but no more in error than the numbers that Mike used. THEY ARE BOTH WRONG! Why? Because both, while being categorical accurate, do not tell the whole story.
Idaho public schools, both traditional and charter, are supported by Idaho taxpayers. There are a great number of taxes but the majority of that tax support is derived from personal income tax, corporate income tax, sales tax and property taxes. Property taxes are collected at the County level based upon a number of various levies, some are voter approved such as bond, plant facility and supplemental levies and some at the discretion of local school boards such as tort and emergency levies. The other taxes are collected by the State and distributed to schools via a formula.
The reason that people get confused when comparative costs are presented is due to the fact that few tell the complete story, such as what was presented in the recent article by Mike Butts. If you only tell part of the story, you get skewed results. When I suggested that Victory and Charter schools spent $0 (zero dollars) I was correct, because if you only consider property taxes that is a true statement, and if I suggest that Nampa school district spends only about $3,000.00 per student that would also be correct. But again, that is not the complete story.
In order to be accurate and to be fair, all taxpayer support MUST be considered. Therefore, on average charter schools, when considering all taxpayer support, both state and local spend about $6,000.00 per student per year. Traditional school districts on the other hand spend in excess of $9,000.00 or about $3,000.00 more each year on each student.
For each charter school of 500 students there is a savings to taxpayers of $1,500,000.00. It is not rocket science to figure out which is the best deal for tax payers.
Senator John Goedde of Coeur d’Alene has introduced a bill which, if it becomes law, would provide a significant improvement to Idaho’s charter school law. It’s not perfect, but Senate Bill 1364 is, without a doubt, a step in the right direction. Current law inexplicably places an artificial cap on the number of charter schools that can be approved in any one year. In 1998, when the Legislature first created charter schools, the cap of six schools had a plausible explanation– allowing the state to move slowly into the brave experiment of education choice. Today, we know charter schools are an overwhelming success. They’re cheaper to operate than traditional schools and they produce excellent results in student achievement.
Charter schools are so popular, that there are more than 7,000 kids waiting to enroll in them. Goedde’s legislation would allow additional schools beyond the “cap” if those schools were authorized for an under-served population. That population is defined as students whose interests and needs are difficult to meet in the traditional academic realm, including low-income students, racial and ethnic minorities, at risk students, English as a second language students, immigrant students, students with disabilities, gifted and talented students and other special populations likely to be excluded from full participation in traditional public schools. Further, that the public charter school commission would determine whether a new public charter school meets those qualifications.
Certainly, if a proposed school was beyond the current cap but was to serve a waiting list of hundreds of students, it would appear that this legislation would correct that problem as with any waiting list of students there will be students that “fit” into one or more of the specific categories defined in the bill.
Senator Goedde is concerned about whether that artificial cap is hindering the state’s efforts to secure federal dollars under President Obama’s “Race to the Top” program. His concern is justified, as the criteria is very specific about charter school limitations. If states are to receive any of those federal funds they must have “friendly” charter school laws. Laws that limit the number of charter schools and limits opportunities for thousands of students, can’t be deemed “friendly.” Some states such as Tennessee, Rhode Island, Louisiana, and Massachusetts, have already improved their charter school laws to bring their charter school laws more in compliance with “Race to the Top” guidelines.
Prompt and wide-spread support for SB 1364 could create a “win-win” situation for Idaho, a lot of kids on waiting lists could have a school of their choice, and all of Idaho schools could receive some fiscal help via “Race to The Top” funding.
It is time to solve a very real problem for a lot of parents and kids!
Is it because of their many years of experience? Is it because of all the college credit hours they have achieved? Is it because they have a Masters Degree, or because they have achieved National Board Certification? How about the years of experience? All of the aforementioned factors are the only determiners in how much teachers are paid, so they must be important, or are they?
In a speech to the (TED) Technology Entertainment Design conference, Bill Gates reveals some research that has significant implications for our policy makers, especially those who are writing the FY 2011 public schools appropriation. Gates suggests that only 20% of our kids are receiving a good education and that it is failing 80%. Not good by any standard! In reality I think it is even more damning than that. If you have not already heard it, please click here to hear Gate’s short speech on, “Making a Great Teacher.” It is old but good, you will be glad you did. View Video
During the 2009 Legislative session we posed the following question to our Legislators: Are Idaho High Schools Meeting the Needs of Their Students? We also answered that question with the statement that, for the most part the answer is NO, as our high schools are primarily geared to the “middle” with one model expecting to adequately serve the needs of all. One size does not fit all in almost every facet of our lives and certainly not in our schools. While there have been some attempts to change our high schools through local efforts as well as legislative and state board policy, our high schools are still much the same as they have been for decades. Now, at last, we have a proposal from a couple of legislators that should get some traction. read more…
Is a blue bird really blue?
School consolidation is an issue that has been debated for decades. Many state superintendents and State Board of Education members have brought this issue to the front, all to no avail. The former state board chairman, Janet Hay, and State Superintendent Jerry Evans could see the benefits. Current State Superintendent Tom Luna has voiced some interest. Most recently, the Idaho Press Tribune has editorialized on the need for this issue to be re-examined. read more…
A few years ago, I introduced legislation in the state Senate to add more accountability in our K-12 education system. My proposal would have revamped teacher contract law and create a teacher evaluation process in statute. In the end, the Legislature agreed to make minor changes in contract law, but the teacher evaluation process was untouched due to the aggressive lobbying efforts of the Idaho teacher’s union. read more…
Many in Idaho are led to believe that charter schools cost the taxpayers more than the traditional schools. Not true! The valid point in their argument is that charter schools are usually small and get better funding per student, but so do small traditional schools. Now, a moratorium on charter schools is supported by much of the education establishment. Data from the State Department of Education website reveals that the total expenditure per child in the traditional school setting for FY 2008 in the Caldwell School district was nearly $9,000, and in Nampa nearly $11,000. The expenditure per child in charter schools situated in Canyon County is about $3,000 less. read more…
Darrel Deide, Chairman Idahoans for Choice in Education
Recently President Obama stated, “in order to improve our schools we will have to lengthen the school day as well as the school year”
Does anyone believe that keeping AIG open 20 minutes extra each day would have kept the read more…
