RI Federation of Teachers Urges Raimondo to Oppose Charter School Expansion in New Campaign
Friday, December 02, 2016
The Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals (RIFTHP) launched a media campaign urging Governor Gina Raimondo to oppose the expansion of charter schools.
“This is a grassroots campaign that will be driven by our members and those who have a stake in public education – from teachers to support professionals to parents to students to local taxpayers. We should learn a lesson from Massachusetts, a state that puts a high value on public education, (and) where voters just soundly rejected the expansion of charters. This is an issue that affects everyone, and we will do everything in our power to educate and activate affected Rhode Islanders,” said Frank Flynn, President of RIFTHP.
The RI Council on Elementary and Secondary Education has scheduled a vote on the issue for December 20.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe Proposals
Flynn criticized the two proposals. He states that in one proposal Providence could lose $179 million, and in another proposal, one of two Central Falls elementary schools could close.
“One expansion proposal set for a vote will create a parallel school district in Providence. This proposal does not have the support of the mayors of two of the four sending communities. According to the Providence City Auditor, the district will lose about $179 million once the expansion is completed. The education funding formula has not yet been fully implemented and it would be catastrophic to Providence students in district public schools if charter tuition payments balloon.
He continued, “another proposal could potentially cause the closure of one of the two elementary schools in Central Falls in the foreseeable future and continue to destabilize the entire school district. Currently, more than one-third of Central Falls’ students attend charter schools, and further expansion jeopardizes the ability of the school district to meet the needs of the remaining students.”
Charter Schools in RI
In RI, 95% of students attend district public schools, while 5% attend charter schools. The Council on Elementary and Secondary Education is required by law to give substantial weight to the fiscal impact on the participating municipalities as well as giving substantial weight to the programmatic impact on school districts.
“The future of public education in Rhode Island is at stake. Charter schools are already siphoning more than $100 million every year from public school districts, forcing devastating cuts to school resources and programs that our students depend on. We represent teachers in some of the districts most impacted by charters – places that have seen reduced numbers of guidance counselors, school nurses, and social workers, and elimination of arts and music programs, world language programs, after-school activities, and sports. Fiscal constraints have also led to reductions in the number of special education teachers, even though the district public schools serve a higher percentage of special education students than charter schools. Even basic materials like pencils and paper are no longer being provided in some districts. And now they want to expand them even further? After twenty years, there is little evidence that the charter school experiment has improved Rhode Island’s education system. We are funding these charters at the expense of the 95% of kids who attend public schools. It’s unconscionable that we are taking away from the kids who need these resources the most,” said Flynn.
Flynn went on to talk about the process.
“This entire process is extremely flawed and lacks transparency. This issue is being rammed down the public’s throat, even though it is clear that these proposals will have a severe negative programmatic and fiscal impact on public school districts. Adding millions of dollars of mandated charter tuition payments is not prudent for cities and towns, and adding financial obligations will cause district public schools to cut positions and programs for students. Shockingly, the public was not provided fiscal or programmatic data on these proposals during the public comment period. This is too important of an issue for the Council to vote on without letting the public see how it will affect their own public schools, children, and taxpayers.”
For more on the campaign, click here.
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