From this hearing we now know that Dr. Allan of the WEAC is bent on putting charters into Wilmington.  He said so himself:

Dr. Allen stated that he believes charter schools are a part of public education and that Delaware needs charters to be more unified.
Here are the elements he proposed, grouped in two groups:  Charter and no- Charter.

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Charters:
  • Create a new vision for charter schools in Wilmington
  • Charter school growth could add as many as six-thousand additional seats
  • Charter authorizers should be operating based on a strategic plan.
  • Develop a strategic plan for charter schools in Delaware,
  • No new charter schools or expansions of existing charter schools.
  • Establish a Wilmington Charter School Consortium.
  • Allow charter schools to benefit from greater collaboration.
  • Allow charter schools to more effectively collaborate with public school districts.
  • Allow for a liaison opportunity between traditional public schools, charter schools and the City of Wilmington.
Non-Charter:
  • Recommended reducing the number of school districts in Wilmington, from 4 to 2,
  • Strengthen the role of the community in Wilmington education.
  • Property reassessments.
  • Establish the Office of Education and Public Policy.
  • Approve a new weighted student funding formula.
  • Change the current unit count formula to better reflect English Language Learners, high-poverty students, and special education students in grades K-3.
  • Create a Wilmington Education Improvement Commission reporting to Governor and General Assembly.
  • WEAC has made a point not to comment on the Priority Schools Initiative.

What was missing entirely was how to fund Charters without harming public schools.  Every charter student hurts 4 other children when they leave a public schools for a charter… With 6000 new charter students slated to arrive, that means 24,000 students will be hurt…. Begging the question over whether it is cheaper to stop charters, instead of paying additional monies to undo the damage soon to be done to 24,000 students?

What he proposes is raising property taxes… Yet unsaid was that they don’t have to be raised if you just eliminate charters.  Charters are what are causing the unlimited shortfall.   

The exchange also shows Rep Earl Jacques propensity to ok anything asked by Charters, sight unseen.

Jacques’ statements:

  • Chair Jaques agreed with Dr. Allen’s assessment.
  • Chair Jaques was delighted that Governor Markell agreed to form a blue ribbon panel.
  • Chair Jaques questioned Dr. Allen as to why WEAC is calling for no new charter schools.
  • Chair Jaques stated that parents need choices in education and it should be about market share and quality.
  • Chair Jaques also noted that he hopes WEAC will consider using the Illinois Facility Fund. (WTF?)

Dr. Allen said that he personally has been a fan of charter schools as a part of the public education process… Again, there is absolutely nothing in this interim report recognizing that charter growth removes revenue from public schools who must continue paying out fixed costs which means fewer dollars going per child…  

Forcing this conundrum:

If your child goes to a Charter he gets inferior education because Charters put less money towards students than do public schools.  If your child stays in public school, he gets inferior education because his school gave most of their per pupil resources over to charter schools and now fixed costs eat out of the money that used to go to each student…

No report is serious about education if it ignores this big problem filling up the whole room….