Suit Supports Funding Equity for All D.C. Public School Students
Press Release
Washington, D.C.
January 20, 2015
The Center for Education Reform (CER), together with Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), Friends of Choice in Urban Schools (FOCUS) and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS), filed an amicus brief Friday, January 16 with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Case No. 14-cv-1293-TSC, in support of a lawsuit aimed at securing equitable funding for public charter school students.
In the brief, the amici curiae state that the defendants are wrong to argue that they have the authority to amend or repeal the District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995 simply because the Act is directed exclusively to the District. The School Reform Act passed by the U.S. Congress required the District to not only institute a public charter school program, but also to institute a per-student funding model that applies to all public schools equally.
The lawsuit, filed in July 2014, alleges that each year the D.C. government has shortchanged charter schools by $1,600-$2,600 in per-pupil funding on average, accumulating to an outrageous $770 million since FY 2008.
“It’s simply unacceptable to underfund D.C. public charter schools, which serve 45 percent of all public school students in our nation’s capital” said Kara Kerwin, president of The Center for Education Reform.