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Ogden board targets charter schools

There are nearly 30,000 students in Utah charter schools, more than 5% of total enrollment, and the number continues to grow. Within ten years, charters could be teaching more than 10% of total enrollment. This is a significant amount, and these are students that districts don't have to spend money educating. Since they are not incurring these costs, the charters should get the money.

Due to overall enrollment growth, fixed costs are not an issue since charter schools are primarily diverting enrollment growth. Even in those districts not experiencing growth, existing schools can be consolidated to account for reduced costs and funding.

I am still annoyed by the throw everything that was defeated back on the table Ominibus bill. THis 'law' was defeated because of the problems it was going to create. It reestablished an adversarial relationship between the systems and it harms more Charter schools than it helps. The money 'saved' by the state exceeds the money most Charters gained from the local school tax (The state had been kicking in funding). It was a creative way to cut funding to Charter schools AND also cut funding to District schools.

We need to take a serious look at thieves in sheep's clothing who actively steal from our children in our legislature. It is time to get rid of Howard Stephenson. He has done enough damage already.

The article was right. The tax money should go for the education of children wherever they might go to school. Parents are willing to pay out of their pocket because they think their children will get a better education at a charter school. Maybe instead of crying about less revenue, the school districts ought to be looking at: (1) determining ways to cut overhead and costs because they are not teaching as many children; and (2) looking how they can provide a better education so that parents are not motivated to send their childrens elsewhere for an education.

It is really time to start addressing the issues Ogden School Board instead of crying about unfairness.

I'm a charter school parent and I pay taxes to the Granite School District. First, Charter Schools are not tuition-based schools, they are public schools. Second, my portion of my taxes I pay should go to where my children are being taught.

I am not causing the Granite School District to incur any cost for the education of my children. There is not a teacher, a principal, a custodian or food service or a transportation service from Granite that our family is using. There is an open seat in the class because of our decision to go charter school.

I find it disappointing that Ogden District wants their cake and frosting to go with their meat and potatoes. What is wrong with sending my property tax dollars that typically go to our school district from being redirected to our charter school? It is the correct solution.

You hit it on the head, Bill!

Our society has made a philosophical decision that schools are so important to society that all of society should contribute to their support, even those who do not have children in schools.

Money does not come from the individual student, nor is it spent on the basis of the individual student, yet this bill allocates it on that basis.

This is the same argument that Utah voters rejected in the voucher election. People can choose to opt out of the school system, but they should not be able to opt out of supporting a strong public education system.

We as a society have decided that our education system is too valuable to society, and thus everyone helps support it through taxation.

I am a charter school parent and a property tax payer. I cannot understand why people cry foul when it comes to change. My kids go to a charter school for a better education. My tax money should benefit them just as much as any other kid. Our charter schools run on a budget per student, that is much less than a public school. Why can't a public school cut their budgets and still provide top notch education? I think the Ogden school district needs to get their thumbs out of their mouths and start acting like responsible adults. Our precious tax money puts food on thier tables, maybe that should be cut back a little. Just a thought...

Our "regular" public schools need our help, not the "invention" of charter schools. Charter schools have simply caused more woes in the world of education. Utah would be in much better academic shape if those who branched off to make charter schools would have placed their interest and effort in the existing public schools. How foolish many Charter School founders and parents are.

Follow the Money to the Special Interests of the few that cllaim they are doing it for the genral good. It's not just about educating children, just like Foster Care is a money maker for the social worker. The general population of society has a responsibility for moving society forward. We have learned that privitization only creates jobs for administrators. Adults need to come to reality that parenting is grassroots to a common society.

charter schools are going to go the way of disco.

Sounded good at the time but a laugher a few years later.

The charter school by me is now doing some heavy advertising and recruiting.

Parents are "seeing the light" and coming back to the local school.

It will take a few years to get rid of the bad charter schools. The good ones will find ways to function on their own without involving the local school district.

Our public school system has morphed into a management heavy, support personel heavy, rediculious mess with three support people for every teacher, no wonder there is no money to give teachers the raises they desperately need. Just one example: Every school district has it's own procurement wherein they buy their desks,office equipment and supplies. If all purchases were made by one office at the state level, large volume purchases and no need for district procurement personel would save millions of dollars.
If you are a really big thinker, emagine if there was only one school district for the whole state, the savings would be mega millions, and your property tax would be cut in half

I left regular public schools to try a charter school this year. I love 25 student per class limit, uniforms, and 1 aide for every grade. It gives my kids the best chance to succeed. I spent hundreds of volunteer hours each year at "public school" trying to make it better. My "public" is trying, but this is the only way to get the higher standards that my kids need to succeed. I could not pay all the expenses for my 3 kids to go to school, I am grateful for the taxes paid by all, and I just hope the legislature and Ogden city can figure out what is best for all.

"strong public school system" What is that supposed to mean? The public shool system is top heavy, hard to steer and beholden to the wants and wishes of the universities who claim to have "research based education" yet they can never produce the proof their positions. Maybe its time to shake up the public school system and start over....

I agree with the post at 8:17. Just because your child goes to a charter school it should not free you from the tax burden for public education. Those without children must accept the tax burden (not always without compliant either) and so charter school parents must as well. If you believe public schools are not doing their job then just abandoning the system and those that get left behind is not the best answer for our society as a whole.

The fact the legislators who allowed the creation of the charter schools also exempted them from following the same procurement processes required of the districts, so the charter schools can build the school with all the bells and whistles the districts can't, then pass the cost along in the lease amounts, which are covered by the districts portions. If you want apples to apples, the charter schools should be required to accept the lowest bid when building their schools, just like the districts. Of course that would mean the legislators that now build the charter schools would have to lower their bids to get the job, but it would lessen the amount the districts have to kick in. Why should the charter schools have a better facility than we allow the regular schools, are their kids better?

The real concern is that money collected by one agency is being handed over to another with no accountability. No one, including the Ogden Board, has a problem with tax dollars funding charter schools. They do have a problem with the state creating a system, and then refusing to pay for it. Now local school districts, which do not oversee charter schools, are stuck with the bill and charter schools, unlike the rest of the system, don't have to say where the money is going. Charter schools are public schools overseen by the state of Utah and they should be funded by the state -- not local districts. Keep in mind, the tax money afforded by SB 2 is in addition to the per pupil money already being directed away from school districts.

Three issues here:

1. When Charter Schools were first started 8+ years ago, the legislators promoted them as a way to add funding to the regular public schools. The "school choice" crowd on Capitol Hill said "look at all the students that will be taken out of regular public schools and all of the savings that will bring." If that is no longer the case then we were misled and deceived!

2. When the regular school districts raise property taxes or bond for buildings they have certain steps that they must take to inform the taxpayers. Many times they are criticised and become the "bad guys" because of this. If Charter Schools get to piggy back on the property tax revenue--where is their responsibility for truth in taxation? They get another free ride and the regular school districts must do all of the dirty work.


3. Charter Schools are constructed out of funds from a legislative "slush fund" and do not have to go to the public and beg for bonding money like the regular districts do. Why not?

Charter Schools want to be "public" when it suits their purposes and want special considerations when it doesn't. This must change!

The "what's mine is mine" tone in many of the comments is disturbring. If the patron's money is restricted only to go to his/her school, then it ceases to be a public school; it is private. Public money cannot legally be restricted to private use.

Do the words in the Constitution "for the public welfare" no longer apply in Utah?

Or, have we reverted to the 1970s version of Russian detant: "What's mine is mine, what's yours is negociable."

The people have spoken and they voted down funding charter schools from public school funding sources.

What part of Bigelow's failed bill doesn't he understand? This bill did not pass on it's own, he had to sleaze it through the back door to get it passed. Don't rob Peter to pay Paul.

Okay, I didn't even read the article, but the picture is really disturbing. N'est pas?