Letter to the Editor,
As the statewide debate over the expansion of charter schools continues and November’s ballot question to lift the existing cap on charter schools looms, it’s important to consider the impact of charter schools on Westfield.
This year alone, charter schools will siphon off $162,164 in funds that would otherwise stay in the Westfield Public Schools, and be used to improve learning for all students. If the charter school expansion ballot question passes, this number could grow to millions of dollars a year, as it has in many communities around the state. For students, this funding loss means larger class sizes, fewer enrichment courses such as music, art, and athletics, and other damaging cutbacks.
None of us should be surprised that after years of shrinking budgets, our local schools are failing to meet the needs of many of our students. A recent report by a school budget review commission found that Massachusetts is underfunding public education by at least $1 billion a year. The ability of our schools to provide students with more opportunities for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, and enrichment programs such as music, art, and athletics, is already threatened. And now, charter schools are taking more than $400 million in funds each year from our local school districts.
Part of the problem is that the state approves charter schools even when the communities where they will be located are opposed to them. This has happened in Brockton, Gloucester, and many other communities. Charter schools are not accountable to the local taxpayers who have to pay for them or the communities they serve. That’s wrong. Parents and taxpayers in Westfield should have the final say on what kind of schools we want.
Clearly, some of our schools are struggling, particularly in our urban areas. We should be committed to fixing them – not keep taking money away and giving it to charters which accept fewer English-language learners and kids with significant special needs. Expanding a two-track system of separate and unequal schools, where students with the most challenges remain in local district schools with fewer and fewer resources, is not consistent with our Massachusetts values.
The ballot question will allow charters to expand into areas where they don’t exist right now — anywhere in the state — taking millions away from successful neighborhood public schools and causing the elimination of programs, increases in class sizes, and other damaging cuts in the schools that most families choose. In Westfield, allowing charter schools to take more money away from our public school system will only hurt the majority of students. We need to fully fund our public school system before we consider spending more money on charter schools.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Martin
Chair, Westfield Democratic City Committee
