City Councilor Steve Dondley
Question 2’s impact on Westfield’s Schools
On October 3rd, the Westfield School Committee joined well over 150 other school committees across the state and unanimously passed a resolution opposing Question 2 which will appear on November’s ballot. I applaud their position and encourage Westfield residents to vote “no” on Question 2 on November 8th. A “no” will keep the cap on the number of charters schools in the state to 120. According to the Mass. Department of Education, there are currently 78 charter schools across the state.
So why am I opposed to lifting the charter school cap?
First and foremost, charter schools are costing Westfield taxpayers money. As Westfield School Superintendent Czaporowski discussed at the October 3rd meeting, Westfield is not getting the charter school reimbursements to which we are entitled. Westfield was shortchanged $171,000 by the state in Fiscal Year 2016 and $162,000 in Fiscal Year 2017. That money could be used to employ approximately 3 new teachers with full benefits. Though I am not opposed to the idea of charter schools, we cannot and should not expand an education system that shortchanges Westfield’s kids and sets up a two-tiered education system across the state.
There is considerable confusion on the reimbursements and what they are for. Currently, fourteen children in Westfield attend charters schools in our area. When a child leaves the Westfield school district to attend a charter school, the district is obligated to pay for the tuition of that child to attend the charter. So, for example, if a child attends MLK Jr. school in Springfield, the district pays the charter school about $12,000.
The problem, however, is that the district does not see $12,000 in savings as a result of a few children leaving our school district. We do not lay off any teachers and we do not get to turn off any lights or boilers as a result of a few children leaving Westfield’s pubic schools. Recognizing this problem, the state is supposed to reimburse the district for a few years to help compensate the district for the loss of revenue. Unfortunately, because of lack of funding, we are not getting all the reimbursement money we are entitled to as Superintendent Czaporowski has pointed out.
Another major problem with charter schools is that they are not accountable to our local school committee. Citizens do not get to vote for the board members of the charter schools or help try to shape the budget for the schools. Charter schools are overseen by a state agency which is likely to be out of touch with the operation of our charter schools.
Also, Question 2 will take our tax dollars and use it to line the pockets of the many powerful interests who stand to profit from charter schools. It’s been reported by the Boston Globe that the proponents of Question 2 are sinking over $18 million to get question 2 on the ballot and persuade residents with an expensive media campaign. They know if they can pass Question 2, they will recoup that investment many times over, all paid for with your tax dollars.
Finally, Massachusetts already has the best public school system compared to other states. If Massachusetts were its own separate country, we would rank ninth internationally according to the United States Chamber of Commerce. Other sources say Massachusetts would be as high as third in the world. Like the old saying goes, “if ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
In other news, I will soon start reaching out to community members and experts in the field to begin the task assembling an economic development advisory committee to the city council. The goal is to help our city explore and focus on ways to bring in new revenue into the city. I’m looking forward to the challenge and working with many talented and dedicated people to keep our city progressing toward a better future.
Thanks to Patrick Berry for giving me the opportunity to communicate with his subscribers. And thank you for your time reading this and giving me the opportunity to serve you. I am enjoying my service to the community immensely. Please don’t hesitate to contact me on my phone at 413-537-4451 or by email at [email protected]. You can also visit my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SteveDondley/ for frequent updates.
