Candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor
on Charter Public Schools
As the September 19, 2006 state primary elections approach us, the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association asked the candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor to tell us their positions on important issues facing charter public schools. The candidates were asked the following three questions and were given the opportunity to expand on the answers. Candidates that chose not to respond are noted below. Information on the candidates’ positions on education issues can be found on their Web sites or by calling their campaign headquarters.
1. The state’s school districts have proposed capping the amount of money that charters receive from districts at $5,000 per child and rely on the state to fund the remainder from a separate line-item in the state budget. The proposal would cost the state an additional $50 million next year. Do you support the districts’ proposal? Yes or No?
2. Existing statute limits the amount of state spending that can go to charter public schools in each school district at 9 percent of the district’s net school spending. Once that ceiling has been reached no other charter schools can open in that district. Legislation has been filed to raise that cap to 20 percent in those school systems that have average MCAS scores in the bottom 10 percent statewide. Do you support lifting the cap in underperforming districts? Yes or No?
3. Proposals have been filed to place a moratorium on the creation of new Commonwealth charter public schools. Do you support such a moratorium? Yes or No?
CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR
Democrats
1. In considering current and alternative funding proposals that would affect charter school funding, my top priority would be that charter schools are fully and fairly funded.
I do believe that ideas that would reduce the financing friction between school districts and charter schools may be worth considering. However, any potential alternative financing idea must meet the test of both helping school districts with their needs and ensuring there is no chance of undermining the financial support for charter schools.
2. Yes. Underperforming districts and communities that are suffering from the achievement gap are certainly places where we need to do whatever it takes to help our children succeed. Charter schools are one strategy to help us succeed in educating all the children in the Commonwealth.
3. No, I do not support the moratorium. I support Commonwealth charter schools. Unfortunately, what has been lost in the charter school debate is what it takes to make all of our schools high performing. As governor, I will work to ensure that all of our children have a first-rate education and charter schools are an important part of that goal.
Candidate did not respond
1. I am open to revising the charter school funding formula but am not committed to any particular approach at this point. As Governor, I would consult with all stakeholders to determine the right course of action to ensure fairness for both our district schools and charter schools.
2. I would support raising the charter school cap in chronically struggling school districts to give students in those districts additional choices to receive the quality public education they need and deserve.
3. No.
Republican
1. No. The Charter School Funding formula will always be the subject of debate as long as districts see themselves as “losing” kids and money. We need to remember that charter schools are public schools and district schools are paid not only forr each child that attends, but also reimbursed for three years for every child that leaves to attend a charter school to allow them to adjust to the change in funding gradually. The new charter school funding formula that Governor Romney and I put in place in 2004 was a fair and equitable way to address the fiscal concerns of district schools, but district schools will continue to make money an issue when the real issue is competition from high performing charters.
2. Yes. There should be no limit on parent choice and great new opportunities for students, especially in our most troubled school districts.
3. NO! When the Legislature passed a bill in 2004 to ban more charter schools - even four charter schools that were on the verge of opening with students enrolled, the Romney/Healey administration vetoed the bill. I fought hard to make sure that veto was sustained, and thankfully it was - by a majority vote of the Legislature, not just the 1/3 required. I pledge to veto any other legislation that would block further development of charter schools.
Independent
Christy Mihos/John Sullivan
www.christy2006.com
617-399-2244
Candidate did not respond
Green-Rainbow Party
1. I support this proposal assuming standard funding levels per child remain roughly the same.
2. I support sufficient funding so that students throughout the state and the schools they attend start having decent MCAS success by removing the present economic differences that are a primary determinant of MCAS outcomes. We need to address the causes of “underperformance” for all students in a district – we won’t have to worry about these caps.
3. This is not the issue as far as I am concerned
Overall, I view most of these proposals as putting Band-Aids over Band-Aids...Charter schools came from the legitimate desire for reasonable classroom sizes, enough resources to cover the basics, extra-curriculars and some resources for experimentation. We need to shift enough resources into education, so that all schools have the resources to play this role and all of our students have access to the building blocks of any successful educational institution.
Then sufficient funding will be provided for all schools with a state-mechanism to even the playing field for all our children. And experimentation will be part of every school through out the Commonwealth. Charter schools and the functions they have served will be available for all children. If we want as well to have smaller special function schools, which I doubt we will still need, then they can be added to this formula.
CANDIDATES FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Democrats
1. No
When it comes to funding, I will push for increases that benefit local districts and charter schools. Instead of changing funding formulas and tinkering at the margins, I will fight for more resources and policies that benefit all of our public schools and most importantly, all of our students.
4. Yes
There is a limit on the number of charter public schools in the Commonwealth, but we should consider raising the cap in underperforming districts. These are the communities where parents want more choices for their children.
3. No
Candidate did not respond
Candidate did not respond
Republican Reed Hillman, Independent John J. Sullivan and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Wendy Van Horne are running as a ticket with their respective party’s gubernatorial candidates. They replied along with their running mates.
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