Sacramento, CA, Aug. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Proposed education funding policy released by the California Department of Finance (DOF) picks winners and losers among schoolchildren depriving those who wish to attend personalized learning public charter schools from receiving adequate resources. At risk are primarily low income and minority students across the state who are seeking out public education options designed to help them succeed.
Specifically, the Department of Finance’s draft amendments to modify the previously enacted education budget trailer bill Senate Bill 98 would harm personalized learning public charters by underfunding and excluding them from receiving funding for enrollment growth. Many children who attend personalized learning public charter schools are special education students, come from single family households, are at risk of dropping out or suffer from mental health challenges. These are the children whose education will not be fully funded under the state’s new formula.
The DOF’s legally questionable legislative language destroys years of precedent in which funding followed the student to the public school of his or her choice. The arbitrary new formula presents serious equity issues by penalizing non-classroom based public charter schools which seamlessly transitioned during the COVID-19 pandemic. These schools will be forced to cap enrollment, waitlisting over 25,000 students, or serve more children with less money. Unfortunately, DOF’s legislative language is not a “targeted solution” to fairly fund all public schools but is a targeted attack against non-classroom based charter schools.
“The Personalized Learning model is the voice of working families, parents, and students so many of whom are struggling, disadvantaged, and seeking a better opportunity in life,” said Jeff Rice, Founder/Director of the Association of Personalized Learning Schools & Services. “There is a fundamental equity issue with the state’s education funding policy and it is unconscionable to leave some of our state’s most vulnerable students behind.”
Over 15,000 parents, teachers and administrators signed a petition urging the Legislature and Governor to restore per-pupil funding for all growing public schools. The petition reads in part: “We hereby submit this petition to express our united opposition to capping student enrollment on all growing public schools and consequently denying parents and students their fundamental right to public school choice.”
About the Association of Personalized Learning Schools & Services (APLUS+)
APLUS+ was founded in 2002 and today represents 85 personalized learning public charter schools which collectively employ more than 2,500 credentialed teachers and serve more than 75,000 K-12 students who reside in 50+ counties throughout California. Personalized learning is a student-centered education delivery system with choices in how, what, when, where, and with whom each student learns.