SOUTHFIELD — The city will be overrun by charter schools if a bill passed by the state Senate lifting the statewide cap on the number of university-authorized charter schools becomes law, according to two state lawmakers who oppose the bill.
State Rep. Rudy Hobbs, D-Lathrup Village, and state Sen. Vincent Gregory, D-Southfield, hosted a school funding forum Oct. 25 at the Southfield Public Library, which turned into mostly a discussion of charter schools.
Of the 17 charter schools currently in Oakland County, nine are in Southfield, Hobbs said.
Charter schools run by private companies or universities receive public funding and are not held to the same standards that public schools are, according to Hobbs. Of the nearly 250 charter schools in the state, approximately 50 have closed due to underperformance, Hobbs said.
“A cap at some level is going to be raised,” Hobbs said. “If (charter schools are) going to operate, we don't want folks just taking money.
“These are corporations dedicated to the bottom line, to turn a profit. If you accept public dollars to educate our kids, we want to know how the money is spent.”
The bill, which removes a statewide cap of 150 university-authorized charter schools, passed Oct. 6 in the Senate, 20-18, with every Democrat opposed and all but six Republicans showing support.
Oversight question
State Sen. John Pappageorge, R-Troy, said he voted in support of removing the cap for university-authorized charter schools after “leading the charge” to amend the bill, removing a mandate for the privatization of teachers.
Since charter schools receive public funding, they should be regulated by a state board, just as public schools are run by a state board of education, Hobbs said.
“Why have unlimited charter schools and no supervision?” Hobbs asked.
Criticizing charter schools for a lack of oversight is unfair, Pappageorge said in a phone interview. He said individual charter schools elect members to boards to maintain standards and attract students in a competitive environment.
Having a mostly union staff of teachers also removes the impression that charter schools are in business only to make money, Pappageorge said.
“Most of the (charter schools) teachers belong to the MEA (Michigan Education Association), which is fine,” said Pappageorge, who represents the 13th District, which includes Royal Oak and Clawson. “There is accountability. It is in the person of the entity that authorizes (the charter schools) and most are authorized by universities. To say there is no oversight is not accurate, just not the same kind of oversight.”
Location counts
Hobbs said Southfield would be an attractive place for private companies to open more charter schools because of the city's proximity to Detroit, where charter schools enrolled 54,000 students in 2009-10, according to student count records.
A charter school that opens in Southfield gets $7,800 per student in state funding, $300 more than a Detroit charter school, Hobbs said. Additional charter schools would put an added strain on public services and not increase revenues, since organizations that run charter schools aren't taxed, according to Hobbs.
“Southfield is a prime location (for more charter schools),” Hobbs said. “There are great services, people feel safe and it's a hop, skip and jump from Detroit, a population (charter schools) like to serve. Southfield is a home of Fortune 500 companies, there are a lot of office buildings, a lot of empty space because companies have moved out.”
Schools compete
Pappageorge said providing families with a choice to attend charter school or a public school improves the overall education of students.
“Competition is good,” Pappageorge said. “Some public schools are underperforming, some charter schools are underperforming. A lot of them are doing just fine, both charter schools and traditional public schools.
“I say keep the good ones and fix the bad ones.”
State Rep. Marty Knollenberg, R-Troy, who represents District 41, which includes Clawson, will have a chance to vote on the bill when it reaches the House. Charter schools are good for competition, especially in underperforming school districts, and the economy, he said.
“If the parents feel their child is performing at a level they are satisfied with, and the operator makes a profit, I don't think that's a bad thing,” Knollenberg said in a phone interview. “I tend to be a fan of charter schools. Obviously it provides parents another opportunity for kids to get what they feel is a better education.
“There is a huge demand for parents wanting to send kids to charter schools. Parents are choosing this. It's a supply-and-demand issue. Right now there is limited supply, greater demand.”
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