MTA backs campaign to fight
lifting of charter school cap
T;he;MTA;is;committing;resources;to;fight;any;proposals;to;lift;the;cap;on;charter;schools;and;to;support;strong,;well-funded,
democratically;controlled;district;public;schools;for
all;students.
The;efforts;will;involve;intensive;opposition;to
any;legislation;that;would;expand;Commonwealth
charter;schools;as;well;as;to;a;planned;ballot;initiative.
The;association;is;fighting;the;cap;lift;as;part
of;a;coalition;called;the;Massachusetts;Education
Justice;Alliance.;The;alliance;includes;educator,
parent,;student,;labor;and;social;justice;organizations
that;are;working;together;to;support;the;schools;that
students,;educators;and;communities;deserve.
“The;very;possibility;of;quality;public;schools
for;all;is;under;threat;on;multiple;fronts,”;said;MTA
President;Barbara;Madeloni.;“We;are;fighting;for;our
students,;for;our;rights;and;for;the;future;of;public
education.
“Public;funds;should;go;to;schools;that;are
staffed;by;educators;who;have;a;voice;in;policy
through;their;union;—;and;who;are;able;to;speak
out;on;behalf;of;their;working;conditions;and;their
students’;learning;conditions,”;she;added.;“They
must;not;be;further;diverted;from;local;community
control;to;private;interests;that;are;seeking;to;enlarge
a;two-track;system;that;undermines;public;education
and;the;common;good.”
On;Jan.;30,;MTA;Board;members;heard;a
presentation;on;the;proposed;campaign,;as;well;as
on;widespread;member;opposition;to;lifting;the;cap
on;Commonwealth;charter;schools.;The;proposal
called;for;an;extensive;grassroots,;media;and;get-
out-the-vote;campaign.;Executive;Director-Treasurer
Ann;Clarke;highlighted;the;dangerous;destabilizing
impact;of;any;cap;lift;on;districts;and,;eventually,;on
all;public;schools;in;Massachusetts.
Board;members;then;voted;to;go;into;executive
session;to;discuss;a;new;business;item;proposed
by;members;of;the;MTA;Executive;Committee
concerning;the;campaign.
By;a;vote;of;the;Board,;the;MTA;will;now;enter
into;conversations;with;state;legislators;as;they
formulate;a;reform;bill;for;charter;schools;speaking
specifically;to;accountability;measures.;At;the;same
time,;using;funds;that;the;Public;Relations/Organizing
Campaign;Committee;had;already;committed,;the
MTA;will;begin;to;support;a;grassroots;effort;to;fight
any;lifting;of;the;charter;cap.
“The;MTA;did;not;seek;out;the;charter;school
fight,”;Madeloni;said.;“It;has;been;forced;on;us;by
pro-charter;forces,;as;well;as;by;Governor;Charlie
Baker;and;his;allies;in;the;State;House.;But;now;that
it;is;before;us,;we;must;take;it;on.”
Great;Schools;Massachusetts,;the;group
spearheading;the;campaign;to;lift;the;cap,;announced
recently;that;it;is;prepared;to;spend;a;record-
breaking;$18;million;in;2016;to;pass;a;bill;in;the
Legislature;or;a;measure;on;the;ballot.;Much;of;the
organization’s;funding;comes;from;Families;for
Excellent;Schools,;a;New;York-based;group;with
strong;ties;to;Wall;Street.
The;stakes;are;high.;Today,;district;public
schools;lose;more;than;$408;million;a;year;to;charter
schools.;Several;big;districts,;including;Boston
and;Springfield,;are;nearing;their;spending;caps,
which;top;out;at;18;percent;of;net;school;spending.
The;leading;cap-lift;proposals;would;blow;the;lid
off;current;limits.;In;a;worst-case;scenario,;public
schools;could;lose;more;than;$3;billion;a;year;to
charter;schools;in;20;years.
T;he;first;stop;is;the;Legislature,;where;several;cap-lift;bills;have;been;filed,;including;one;by;Baker.;Like;the;ballot;question,;Baker’s
measure;would;allow;up;to;12;new;Commonwealth
charter;schools;per;year;in;addition;to;the;number
allowed;under;current;law.;Both;measures;would
allow;these;schools;to;enroll;up;to;1;percent;of;the
total;school-age;population;each;year;—;about;9,500
students.
Baker’s;bill;would;abolish;the;current;spending
limits;in;the;73;school;districts;whose;students;score
in;the;bottom;25;percent;on;standardized;tests.;Those
districts;include;most;large;urban;communities;in
Massachusetts;and;educate;about;40;percent;of;all
students.
Under;the;ballot;initiative,;the;schools;could
be;opened;anywhere.;Under;either;measure,;entire
districts;could;be;turned;over;to;private;charter
school;operators;in;a;single;year.
Adding;insult;to;injury,;Baker’s;fiscal;2017
budget;proposal;would;slash;reimbursements;to
school;districts;that;are;dislocated;by;the;sudden
loss;of;students;and;funding;to;charter;schools.;Most
districts;would;receive;reimbursements;for;just;one
year;instead;of;the;current;six.
“The;governor;and;his;friends;on;Wall;Street;are
intent;on;starving;public;schools;of;needed;resources
in;order;to;‘prove’;they;are;failing;and;ultimately
privatize;our;system,”;Madeloni;said.;“We;must
not;cave;in;to;their;threats;in;any;way.;We;must;not
allow;any;cap-lift;bill;that;would;ultimately;siphon
billions;of;dollars;from;our;public;schools.”
On;another;front,;MEJA;members;are;also
fighting;a;lawsuit;seeking;to;abolish;all;caps;on
charter;schools.
The;New;England;Area;Conference;of;the
NAACP,;a;member;of;the;coalition,;has;intervened
in;opposition;to;the;suit;along;with;the;Lawyers’
Committee;for;Civil;Rights;and;Economic;Justice
and;seven;public;school;students.;The;intervenors
cite;evidence;that;charter;schools;“divert;millions
of;dollars;from;traditional;public;schools;each
year,;yet;serve;proportionately;far;fewer;students
with;disabilities;and;English;language;learners;and
impose;harsher;discipline;on;students;of;color,”;the
Lawyers’;Committee;said.
For more information and updates, visit
massteacher.org/charterschools.
Reasons to oppose lifting the cap
LOST FUNDING: Charter schools siphon hundreds of millions of dollars a year from public
schools. This year alone, Commonwealth charters will divert more than $408 million from district
public schools after reimbursements are taken into account. This means larger class sizes and less
enrichment for students in district public schools.
NO LOCAL CONTROL: Charter schools are not accountable to their local communities.
They are approved by the state, often over the objections of a large majority of local residents — the
people who have to pay for them. Local school committees have no authority over these charter
schools and no recourse if a charter school’s practices have a negative impact on students who attend
the district’s public schools.
STUDENTS PUSHED OUT: Charter schools create a two-track system of public schools,
described by the national NAACP as “separate and unequal.” Charters typically underserve special
needs students, English language learners and economically disadvantaged students. Many use harsh
discipline policies to push out the students they don’t want.
POOR TEACHING AND LEARNING CONDITIONS: Rather than innovate, most charters
focus on test prep and drill. In addition, they have high teacher turnover rates as a result of poor
working conditions, long hours and lack of teacher autonomy. This undermines school stability and
students’ learning conditions.
