Letter to the Editor
Baltimore Sun
October 7, 2015
It does not come as a shock that more charter schools have joined the legal battle for equitable funding (“More charter schools join funding lawsuit, as City Council plans to probe issue,” Oct. 7). Charter schools are public schools, and students who choose to leave their traditional public school for a public charter school should have their funding follow them.
The city’s 34 public charter schools educate nearly 14,000 students and have more than 5,500 kids on wait lists — a clear sign that parents want these alternative public school options. They should not be penalized for choosing something that works best for their children.
Even more frustrating is that of all Maryland districts, Baltimore City spends at or near the top per student, yet just 16 percent of 8th graders and 14 percent of 4th graders are proficient in reading.
Back in March, the legislature had a chance to fix Maryland’s charter school law but erred when it instead gutted Governor Hogan’s proposal that would have fixed this inequity. It is unacceptable. Maryland must go back and fix its charter school law.
Kara Kerwin, Washington
The writer is president of the Center for Education Reform.