Dear families,
Many thanks to all who attended Back to School Night last week, including those who attended one of our update sessions in the Community Room. During those sessions, we shared information about the history of charter funding issues as well as concerns about Baltimore City Schools’ lack of transparency and accountability. We also passed along information about a new charter school funding formula that Baltimore City Schools has proposed.
We care deeply about all Baltimore City schools and the families they serve, and believe every public school community should have the resources they need and deserve to be successful. We also believe that the charter funding issue is being framed in a manner that is intentionally causing divisiveness and distracts from the problem that impacts us all: a lack of transparency coupled with inefficiencies at City Schools' Central Office that drain resources from schools across the system.
As a follow-up to our discussion, and to make sure those who couldn't be in attendance are informed, here's a recap of what was discussed, along with some updates:
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Baltimore City Schools enrolls approximately 84,000 students, about 13,700 (over 15%) of which are in public charter schools. An additional 5,500 students are on public charter school wait lists.
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In 2007, the State ruled that City Schools must follow a State funding formula for public charter schools to ensure transparency and that commensurate funding follows the child. In this State-mandated formula, Baltimore City Schools may reduce this per pupil funding by 2% to cover central office costs. Instead, Baltimore City Schools creates their own funding formula for charters that imposes an additional $42 million in central office costs on public charter schools without disclosing the specifics of this overhead. The public deserves a line by line breakdown of this $42 million.
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The funding formula unveiled last Tuesday by Baltimore City’s Public Schools’ staff shifts even more resources from classrooms to the system’s central administration. According to City Schools' current formula, charter schools in Baltimore City received $9,387 per pupil from Kindergarten and up for this year. The proposed funding formula drastically reduces the base per pupil to $5,210. Schools could receive an additional $4,605 for students living in poverty and an additional $4,573 for students who require English language services. These cuts would reduce funding to Baltimore Montessori Public by over $800,000.
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Since 2011, general fund revenues for Baltimore City’s Public Schools have increased by 11.6% – from $1.075 billion to $1.2 billion – while per pupil funding for public charter schools has declined from $9,412 to $9,387. Public charter schools represent more than 15% of total enrollment, but receive only about 10% of the school system’s general fund revenue.
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When their proposal was presented to the Baltimore City School Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Baltimore City Schools repeatedly stated this proposed funding formula is the beginning of a conversation. However, City Schools has only offered a single proposal with no alternatives to consider, and the proposed funding formula is scheduled to be voted on at City Schools' November 10th board meeting.
With transparent accounting for funding and more effective fiscal management, City Schools can better fund all of its schools and students – as is the case in other cities, counties and states. We would like to see more transparency to determine what the right per pupil amount is for all students in Baltimore, including public charter school students. We continue to plan for next steps and to strategize about how best to advocate for greater transparency and more effective fiscal management on behalf of all Baltimore City public school students.
Opportunities to learn more:-
Friday, September 18th, 8:45 am: Coffee and Conversation in the Community Room.
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Thursday, September 24th, 6:30 pm: Parent Meeting in the Community Room. Free childcare for Baltimore Montessori Public students.
Opportunities to advocate:-
Saturday, September 26th, 9:00 am: Public forum on charter school funding sponsored by Baltimore City Schools at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School. (Note new location.)
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Families can also contact Baltimore City Schools at publicforums@bcps.k12.md.us to advocate for increased transparency, improved fiscal management, and greater accountability to ensure all public schools have the resources they need to serve their students.
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Along with other charter schools, we are working on coordinating our advocacy efforts. In the meantime, you can share your personal testimony of what Baltimore Montessori Public means to your family as we work on building communication materials. Please send your testimonials to Monica@bmpcs.org.
Our school has faced adversity from the moment our founding group was formed, and these issues have plagued public charter schools in Baltimore City for over ten years. City Schools’ latest funding formula makes it clear that conditions for public charters in Baltimore City have deteriorated further, despite our efforts to work in partnership. In order to continue providing a high quality public Montessori school for families in Baltimore, our community needs to insist on greater transparency and accountability from City Schools. We have a history of overcoming challenges, and we are confident in our Board of Directors' vision and leadership and in the support of our staff, parents, and friends of our mission from across the city and state. We'll continue to communicate updates on this issue, and hope you'll feel free to stay in touch with questions, concerns, and suggestions.
In partnership,
Our mission is to build a diverse and respectful community of joyfully engaged learners by providing a holistic Montessori environment that supports individual fulfillment, compassion, self-discipline, lifelong learning and a deep awareness of our responsibility to contribute meaningfully to our world.
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