Opinion: Fact-checking the governor’s push to increase funding for charter schools

Has been updated: 3 by the time release date: Four by the time

There has been much discussion about the success of charter schools in terms of student performance. The governor has touted charter schools as a way to improve overall student performance across the state by increasing funding for charter schools and expanding charter schools. There are several reasons why this won’t give him the results he’s looking for.

Charter school student numbers are not representative of Alaska’s overall student population, including its diversity. Data from the state Department of Education’s website for the 2022-2023 school year shows notable differences in ethnicity. For example, in public schools, 47.2% of the student body is white; in charter schools, 64.7% are white; The number of students is stated to be 12:1 – teacher ratio). Native students make up 20.8% of the state’s student population, but only 11.7% of the total charter school population. Comparing charter school outcomes to student outcomes across the state amounts to comparing apples to oranges based solely on demographics, raising questions about who charter schools really serve.

Other characteristics of charter schools work in their favor as well. Parent involvement is known to improve student achievement. It is no exaggeration to say that those who attend charter schools are chosen by their parents. As a parent of a student who enrolled in (and completed) the Anchorage School District’s Japanese immersion program, I witnessed first-hand the amount of parental involvement in alternative programs. It is reasonable to assume that parents of charter school students are similarly involved.

High-achieving students are also part of a charter school’s success. Parents of charter school students, like parents of students in public school alternative programs, want a high-quality education. The people who want more challenging academic programs for their students are not the parents of students who lack academic aptitude. They are the parents of gifted students and want their students to be placed in difficult academic environments so that they do not become gifted dunces. Currently, a lottery system is used to select students who can enroll in optional gifted programs in public schools. This indicates that there is an unmet demand for these programs. Therefore, there is untapped potential to improve student outcomes similar to charter schools. Increasing the capacity of optional programs across the state and allowing enrollment of all qualifying students will improve overall student academic outcomes.

Size also matters. Charter schools have very favorable student-teacher ratios. It is well known that the more contact there is with teachers, the better the student outcomes. With a charter school’s student-teacher ratio as low as 12:1, it’s no surprise that student outcomes outperform public schools overall.

The proposed funding increase for home schools and charter schools is currently $40 million. Charter school enrollment last year was 7,065 students, representing 5.35% of the state’s student population. On a per-pupil basis, the charter school system would see an increase of $5,661 per student, and her proposed increase to the base student quota for all other students would be $300 per student. It is important to note that all students earn their BSA. So what the House majority group and the governor want is to double funding for charter school students while providing only $300 to other students. Imagine what we could do if all students had the same support we want to provide charter schools.

If passed in its current version, SB140 would force the rest of the public school system to reduce or eliminate gifted and option programs, increase class sizes, reduce teachers and administrative support staff, and reduce the number of charter schools. funds will effectively double. For each student. This would likely improve and expand charter schools, but it would also cause the loss of gifted and option programs in the rest of the system, along with all the other negative effects. The net result would be to offset improvements in student performance across the state due to charter school expansion. Things won’t go the way the governor wants.

When talking about charter schools, the governor said he wants to do what has been shown to work. Everyone would agree that we should fund what works. What works is lower student-teacher ratios, parent involvement, support for gifted programs, and attracting and retaining talented teachers and staff. If the governor and a majority of the House agree to fund public schools at the same level as proposed for charter schools, all school districts would have a budget surplus. Instead, how about increasing his BSA by 25% of the amount he wants to provide to students at the charter school? This would mean the BSA would increase by $1,415. That would allow school districts to raise base salaries for teachers, provide employment incentives, save on and possibly expand gifted programs, and address many other pressing needs in the state’s public school system. right. In the long term, this will improve student outcomes and return Alaska to our school’s national rankings. All that is needed is the political backbone to make it happen.

frank jeffries He is a retired professor emeritus of business administration who taught for 24 years in the College of Business and Public Policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage after spending 20 years in various management positions in the private sector.

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