Charter enrollment has more than doubled since 2007
If you listen to the applicants clamoring to open 39 new charter schools in Philadelphia, it sounds like the School Reform Commission has kept a lid on charter seats since 2007.
If you listen to the applicants clamoring to open 39 new charter schools in Philadelphia, it sounds like the School Reform Commission has kept a lid on charter seats since 2007.
But that's not true.
Though the SRC has not approved any new traditional charters in eight years, it has converted 20 low-performing district schools into Renaissance charters and allowed several others to expand and even add campuses.
The result? Charter enrollment in the city has more than doubled - from 29,700 in 2007 to 62,358. That's 30 percent of the total number of the district's 204,358 students.
"There has been a moratorium on new charter applications, but there has been no moratorium on charter seats," said district spokesman Fernando Gallard.
The numbers, he said, show the School Reform Commission "has been supportive of charters and the growth of charters throughout this period."
And that growth translates into rising charter costs for the cash-strapped district. The district's tab for charter tuition has risen over that period from $269.8 million to $727.9 million.
Those numbers are part of the backstory as the five-member commission prepares to vote Wednesday on the 39 proposals amid growing pressure from all sides in the charter debate.
House Speaker Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny) has said he expects the SRC to approve between 16 and 27 new charter schools. Sources have said Gov. Wolf has told the SRC that he expects no new charters to be approved, because of the district's finances.
Meanwhile, the nonprofit Philadelphia School Partnership has offered the district up to $25 million to help cover the costs of adding up to 15,000 students in new charter schools over six years.
The district has 84 charters, including the Renaissance schools. Through the Renaissance program, the SRC has converted low-achieving district schools into charters and turned them over to nonprofit organizations to run.
The Renaissance charters receive the same per-pupil tuition rate as the other charters. This year's rate is $7,996 per student and $23,073 for each in special education.
Unlike charter expansions, though, Renaissance charters enroll students from the schools' existing neighborhoods and do not draw students citywide.
Michael O'Neill, chairman of the partnership board, said in a statement Friday his organization "does not want 15,000 more charter seats; PSP wants 15,000 more kids in quality schools. We expect the SRC will continue to close low-performing charter schools, and will support it for doing so. Closing charters that don't work ensures growth of quality charters doesn't lead to an unaffordable increase in overall charter seats."
PSP, he added, "has never favored one type of good school over another. We continue to work with the district to support the expansion of quality district schools, and we are eager to dial up those efforts."
In addition to the $25 million offered for charter expansions, the partnership has proposed giving the district $10 million to academically overhaul traditional schools.
The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools said it was encouraged when the SRC announced in October it would accept new charter proposals to comply with a new city cigarette tax law, which collects $2 per pack for schools.
Asked about the coalition's position on the proposed 39 new charters, coalition spokesman Ken Kilpatrick said Thursday the SRC should "decide on the merits of each and make decisions on what is in the best interests of the children."
The SRC has scheduled a special session for Feb. 18 to vote on all the applications for new charters.
