Reader comments
Charter school funding bill voted down by House

There should be a disparity because Charter's do not offer the same services. School busing, lunch programs, special ed programs, etc are very costly. Charters do not need equal funding unless they are planning on offering those services and if they do, why have charters in the first place when they no longer look different than traditional schools other than playing by a different set of rules.

I just got another kid back in my class that was previously at a charter school. He got "kicked out" of the charter school.

SO NOW I HAVE TO TAKE HIM BACK IN MY CLASS????!!!!!!

Dear Fed-up Teacher,

Nope. You really don't!

Though the Union wants you to believe you are a slave, you really aren't. Quit the public school comfort zone and get a job in a Charter School. Or, in some other private school. Take your chances, become all you can be!

Vouchers - to all students - would have freed you and them from the Monopoly which dictates your mutual captivity. Did you vote against vouchers (the Union/Party line)? Or, did you vote for personal responsibility and freedom?

Don't whimper. The choice really is yours.

Obviously the kicked out kid couldn't hack the rules at the Charter school and his parents (and probably you) knew he wouldn't either. But you chose where to work, and this is a reality of working in a District school.

To the poster regarding services--Charter schools all offer Special Education. They attract parents who don't feel like their child's needs are being met, so naturally have a high rate of spec. ed. kids. Even a few offer bus services and/or school lunch programs, so it really depends on which Charter you choose.

The bill was going to be bad for both Charters and Districts if it passed as each system would see a cut. The school I work with would have lost money that could have been used to hire two FTE, and I am sure the hit at the District level would have been felt as well.

Guess what my wife teaches special ed and has had 3 students this year alone come back to her class after being forced out of a charter school. Charter schools do not have a high number of special ed students. They force students out that are going to bring down their test scores. How exactly to you have expertise in charter schools anonymous? I can't beleive any teacher would want to teach at a charter school. You must teach the way the charter school dictates using the program they dictate which is much more rigid than traditional public schools. I know I am generalizing here but I have had dealings with 4 different charter schools and I have seen the same things at each one. The idea that a charter school can force a kid out that is not "following their rules" is a joke. They are public schools funded with public money. If traditional schools can't force someone one out then charter schools should not be able to either.

Charter schools are schools of parental choice. They are required to abide by the same laws and rules as public schools. They can only "force out" students to the same degree the district schools can. Our charter school has high standards for student conduct. It is true that sometimes students decide part-way through the year that they don't want to comply. Parents then choose to move the students back to the district school to avoid dealing with the student's behavior or lack of effort issues. We have never expelled a student.

Charter schools are not responsible for the parents' decision to move their child. It is a free country and they can move them all they like. We don't have any control over that.

We do have control over our standards, and we ARE "rigid" - at least at our school. If you disrupt the learning environment, there is a consequence. If you fail to do your work, there is a consequence.

Our RIGID (read: effective) teaching methods and programs have resulted in our 5th graders outscoring our district in math by 22-26 percentile points every year. We have the same percentage of special ed students as our district.

I teach Special Ed. at a charter school where I serve over 33% of the student population. Charter Schools CANNOT kick ANY kids out any more than a traditional school can, we are PUBLIC schools and have to abide the same laws.

My school actually serves students without IEP's just because they need help and it's our job to educate, imagine that.

As for the poor teacher that has to take back a charter student, quit whining, some one will fill the seat at the charter school.

Parents have a responsibility to find the best school for their child. Charters NEVER said they could serve every need, we are just another option for parents and students.

FED UP TEACHER...YOU ARE THE REASON CHARTERS ARE SO POPULAR! 24,OO0 AND GRWOING!