Some misdirected charters mirror DCPS

That reality is prompting calls for change from Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Council Chairman Vincent Gray and Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells.

First a confession: I love vouchers and charter schools. That embrace often gets me pasted with a conservative moniker. People slapping labels do so at their peril. Still, my appreciation doesn’t temper criticism. A thorough evaluation of charter schools-beyond their academic value-is long overdue.

Questions that deserve answers are being asked: Should there be a cap on the city's financial contribution? Should charter schools be required to accept any and all children within their immediate boundaries? Should approval of new schools take into account the city's long-term public education plan?

The funding fight isn't new. There's always been the debate about whether charters pull resources from traditional schools. The city uses a per pupil formula to allocate money to each charter. Each time a new school comes online, the District's education budget expands exponentially. Seven former Catholic schools were approved to open as charters this year. The city didn't budget for them. Officials must locate additional money; that could mean a funding reduction for other equally important services.

Capping the funding would slow the growth of charter schools. It wouldn't harm necessarily the existing array of alternatives to DCPS. Most important, it would provide predictability in city spending as the economy slows and the District faces flattening revenue collections.

But supporters and critics seem more concerned that both sides are talking: “There's no coordination,” explains Wells.

“It's a bizarre way to do government,” he continues. He thinks the first step toward improvements is the legislation he and Gray introduced; it mandates charter government board members be only District residents.

“The challenge is to be more collaborative,” agrees Thomas Nida, the chairman of the charter board. “There is an overarching need to re-balance the system.”

Deborah Gist, state superintendent for education, concurs, noting that the board's approval of applications must begin to “consider not just the quality of the applicants but where schools will be and where schools are needed in the city.”  There are very few charter high schools. And while there are an abundance of schools in Ward 1, there are very few east of the Anacostia River.

Charter schools shouldn't be forced to accept any child from their boundaries, says Gist. She believes, however, that parents need better information on all schools-charter and traditional. Her office is developing a report card on each school that “normal people like me can read.” Those should be available in the next month.

“We do need to revisit a lot of things since the law was passed,” says Gist, adding that only the mayor or the council can initiate such changes.

Parents certainly should make their voices heard.