Bradenton Herald, Feb. 14, 2016 – Letter to the Editor
Chris Guerrieri from Jacksonville (Letters, Feb. 6) is all up in arms about how much money the Legislature is allocating to public charter schools vs. traditional public schools. He states that the House is planning to give charters $90 million but only $50 million to other public schools.
What he and many others neglect to mention is that traditional public schools receive more than $2 billion (!) every year in local capital outlay money that does not pass through the state budget. House Appropriations Committee Chair Richard Corcoran noted there is a discrepancy of “billions to millions.” Eric Fresen, chair of the House Education Appropriations Subcommittee, estimated that overall, traditional public schools received four to five times as much as charter schools on a per student basis.
Rep. Fresen is now a target of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents after he presented data to the Appropriations Committee from the Department of Education’s Fixed Capital Outlay website on school construction. He pointed out that in the last 10 years, 259 of 862 reported construction projects were built at a higher construction cost per student station than the statutory limit.
He states, “I plan to file an amendment to address the overspending of school districts on school facilities. My amendment will address the inflated statutory cost per student station and will also ensure that facility costs and caps are not merely a suggestion but are enforceable and adhered to.”
Contrary to another of Mr. Guerrieri’s assertions, charter schools consistently outperform traditional public schools, according to the Florida Department of Education. They do that with considerably fewer resources.
Worried about where the money goes? Charter schools are a bargain. And they are a distraction the districts use to keep you from noticing the billions of dollars that they are overspending.
Charles W. Jones, Ph.D.
Bradenton