Fate of 39 new charters decided today
Today, the SRC decides the fate of 39 possible new charter schools.
The SRC is surely feeling intense pressure - powerful people on all sides are watching their moves today. On one hand, Gov. Wolf has said that he wants zero new charters approved. And on the other, Republicans in the House and Senate have urged the passage of many charters - between 16 and 27, House Speaker Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny) said. And while governors propose budgets, legislators get them passed.
State Sen. Vincent Hughes (D., Phila.) is the latest to weigh in. Hughes, in a letter sent to SRC Chairman Bill Green this morning, said that "adapting a full expansion of charters will not just cause the financial collapse of the School District, but it will cause the academic collapse of every student in both traditional and charter schools in Philadelphia."
Mayoral candidates have weighed in. So have teachers, parents and nonprofit organizations on both sides of the aisle. James Paul, an official with The Commonwealth Foundation, a conservative think-tank, said in a statement that the SRC today "has an opportunity to offer thousands of Philadelphia parents and students hope for a brighter academic future. Some will question how Philadelphia can afford these new charter schools. But, for the sake of kids trapped in failing and violent district schools by virtue of their ZIP code, a better question is: how can the city afford not to?"
The Philadelphia School Partnership, a well-funded nonprofit that aims to get more city students in strong classrooms regardless of school type, has put forward a controversial proposal: it has pledged $35 million, $25 million of that for new-charter costs. The SRC has not said whether it will take the controversial offer.
PSP and the disrict disagree sharply on the cost of new charters. The district says that every student in a new charter school costs it $7,000 annually - money that comes directly from district schools - but PSP says the cost is lower. District officials have estimated that the six-year cost of approving 15,000 new charter seats - the number PSP has advocated - would be in the half-billion dollar range.
No new charter applications have been accepted for seven years, though the district has more than doubled charter enrollment in that period, through expansion of existing charters and the conversion of struggling district schools into charters. Thousands are on charter waiting lists, though the actual number is hard to pinpoint.
So. Stay tuned. I will livetweet the proceedings from start - scheduled for 3:30, to finish. Expect a marathon, with almost 80 speakers, including the charter providers themselves. The SRC probably won't vote until late evening.