A state study of charter school performance in New Mexico concluded that the privately managed schools cost more and get the same results.
“Rapidly expanding charter schools in New Mexico are spending more per student with similar academic results to traditional public schools, state program analysts told lawmakers on Monday.
“The evaluation by staff at New Mexico’s Legislative Finance Committee warned that charter schools are diluting the amount of funds available at all schools, as charter schools continue to be authorized independently of the state’s budget process.
“The study found that charter school students received $8,663 per student, while traditional district schools received $7,597, during the budget year ending June 2015. New Mexico’s charter schools have received nearly half of school funding increases since mid-2007, while serving about 7 percent of all students, the report said.
“Presenting the findings to lawmakers, program evaluator Yann Lussiez said state-authorized charter schools with the highest grades tended to have the lowest percentage of economically disadvantaged students….
Matthew Pahl, policy director for the department, said greater administrative oversight is planned.
“We’re working at hiring an auditor that just looks at charter schools right now in recognition the fact that there should probably be some more oversight,” he said.
“The Legislative Finance Committee agreed to sponsor legislation that would prevent double funding of certain students at charter schools under a formula that recognizes rapid enrollment increases. The committee also supports a bill to avoid overfunding of transportation at charter schools….
New Mexico had 97 charter schools serving about 22,000 students last year, up from 59 in 2010 and just two in 2000. That steady growth mimics the growth of nationwide attendance at charter schools, which surpasses 2.5 million students.
“The state evaluation raised specific concerns about costs and performance at so-called virtual charter schools that provide remote online courses. New Mexico has two virtual schools — New Mexico Connections Academy and New Mexico Virtual Academy — that both have ties to for-profit organizations.
“The virtual schools have an average of 41 students per teacher with much greater demands on middle and high school teachers, and did not provide expected saving on infrastructure costs. The evaluation recommended the creation of new statutory requirements for funding and student achievement at virtual schools.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“New Mexico’s charter schools have received nearly half of school funding increases since mid-2007, while serving about 7 percent of all students, the report said.”
Think about that for a minute, and then think about what happens to the schools that serve 93% of children. Did “the 93%” not have a single adult advocate in that government? How did it get so wildly skewed towards charters?
If that’s not capture I don’t know what is. It’s nuts.
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New Mexico should suspend charter expansion. Charters create no benefit for the students of the state, and the disruption and subtractive impact on public education is not worth spending tax dollars on. Why would they pay more for less?
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My granddaughter goes to Basis in Phoenix, Az. and it is free and she has learned much more than in public school. I am a retired teacher in New York State.
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Judi,
I can assure you basis is not “free”!
Tax dollars are being siphoned from public schools to fund them, what you mean is there is no tuition the parents pay to attend, HUGE difference.
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The idea of suspending charter school expansion has been kicked around but until the Legislators are ready to put the brakes on the expansion nothing will happen. The NM Public Education Commission (PEC) has tried to slow down the expansion by denying new applications that do not meet standards but there is the chance the Secretary of Education will reverse the Commissioners’ decision. I don’t think the $8,663 tells the whole story. The taxpayers also kick in roughly $21M yearly in lease assistance to pay for monthly leases on facilities used by the charter schools. Again, until the Legislators get off their collective fifth points of contact and do something with Charter School Act then things will continue as they are. The charter school authorizers, School Boards and the PEC, can only do what the law allows them to do.
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Charter shenanigans here in Massachusetts (#NPEranksusaC):
Of the 603 suspensions of pre-K and K students last school year, 189 were at 18 charter schools. So 18 charter schools accounted for almost a third of all suspensions in the entire state.
http://learninglab.wbur.org/2016/02/03/mass-had-hundreds-of-suspensions-last-year-in-kindergarten-and-pre-k/
Taking a page from the playbook of Success Academy, perhaps, or from Secretary of Education John (mad high suspension rate) King, one school in Boston suspended 68 of its 117 kindergartners last year. It’s not a Boston Public School, but one that was taken over by the state in 2013 and “turned around” due to poor performance on state tests. A new principal was hired, staff had to re-apply for their jobs, (though not many did) management was handed over to charter manager operator UP Academy and it was placed under the oversight of MA DESE. UP Academy operates 5 schools in Boston and in Lawrence, MA, where the entire school system is in receivership.
After the story linked above was published this morning, Massachusetts’ Chair of Education Mitchell (PARCC) Chester expressed his “surprise” at what he didn’t know.
“I am concerned when I see a high reliance on suspensions, and these figures are a wake-up call for us,” said Chester. “I am confident that they will approach discipline for young students differently in the future.”
http://learninglab.wbur.org/2016/02/03/school-network-with-most-kindergarten-suspensions-says-it-will-stop-them/
The staff at UP Academy is identified as 82% highly qualified, as compared with 95% across the Boston school district. Teaching school isn’t for amateurs. Running schools isn’t for politicians.
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When did the notion, aside from “A Nation At Risk,” that public schools are stagnant and cost too much become widely accepted? And to what extent does Union busting fuel that notion? And to what extent did talk of “accountability” gain momentum and why?
I’ve read THE TEACHER WARS. But these days I hear the word “innovation” cloaking some serious anti-traditional public schools (despite state constitutions that only make provisions for “free and uniform” schools (within a state).
What I see that has happened is: states gave up their cohesive and respective authority over their state’s K-12 by accepting RttT funds and requirements. Public schools were weakened because lots of teachers left teaching when they were handed a script and told they’d be evaluated by test scores. Increased charter ops enticed more parents to bail on their public schools. And those who love the idea of privatizing based on ideology are relishing in the weakened state of affairs (not to mention NEA numbers are down in affiliate states).
I think it’s too late. I think RtTT did us in. ??
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“Winnowvation”
Charter winnowvation
Selects the very “best”
The ones who bore
The highest score
On every single test
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Shared and my comment is: “Why am I not surprised?”
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Being a retired educator in NM we have seen the deterioration of public schools for years. After 30 years, I was not “rehired” by a superintendent who was new to our District. He did not like that I stood for students and teachers and was often very outspoken. I had a great record, but that did not matter. He was told by the Board to fix the budget! Ha! Little did the Board know that after closing two schools and eliminating two principals our funding would decrease. So now what? Teachers feeling frustrated have applied to start a charter in our small town. It will be interesting to see how this will pan out.
I have NO FAITH in NM Secretary of Ed Hannah Skandera who learned all her tactics under Jeb Bush. She does not like teachers, she does not like public education and now with the reauthorization of the education act, giving NM more control over funding could be disastrous for NM.
I sat out this year, thinking it might be good to be an outsider. I still have three kids in the schools, but believe me I am WORRIED! Their PARCC scores were bad and being part of the system that had to test kids on computers when we were not ready only makes me feel that I have neglected my own children,
Every year I taught, and later principled, I kept the faith…”it will get better!” But sadly, it has not, it has only gotten worse. As one child graduates this year I can only hope things will improve. I have two more kids who will have to find their way in this mess we call public education. It scares me.
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First, thank you Pam for being a Teacher all those years. NM will miss you. The Students will miss you.
Second, I totally agree with your comments concerning Sec of Ed Skandera. This was wholly a political appointment of a person who does not nor ever will understand what it takes to be a Teacher. She was appointed NOT for her skills but to satisfy the wishes of the political party. She never was a Teacher. Never was a School Administrator. You cannot learn to be a Teacher just by reading a book.
Third, NM will not get rid of the PARCC as long as Skandera in the position of Sec of Ed. She is now the Chair for the PARCC Governing Board. Somehow this seems to me a conflict of interest to be the NM Sec of Ed, the person who is involved at the state level for establishing the contract with Pearson for the PARCC, and be the Chair for the PARCC Governing Board. Something is not right here. NM taxpayers, Teachers, Students, and Parents are getting put to them doubly.
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So I wonder, “what can we do?” Do we petition our legislators? How can this be right, Skandera sitting as the chair for PARCC? I feel we have no power, thus, my kids may be part of the opt out movement in NM. I encouraged parents last year to give PARCC a chance, stating that it was just another standardized test…we all endured that. But seeing and experiencing how test scores are so dramatically tied to teachers, and students graduating, makes me ill.
Our District also participated in the bogus “performance pay” pilot last year. Guess what, I received performance pay BEFORE I received my formal eval from the superintendent. I should have been happy, I guess, but seeing the pay my colleagues received, and knowing that they did not have years of data made me angry. So I contacted Matt Pahl, (policy director…mentioned in the original post by Diane) and he assured me he would look into it. After his initial email exchange I have not heard a word, and this was last summer that I contacted him.
I am saddened, but more angry. I’ve given my whole career to a system of failures.
BTW, Thanks for your kind words. I might have retired on my own, but sadly that decision was made for me by someone who has NO business in education. I will still fight the fight for my own children and my colleagues who keep telling me I’m better off.
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If you are waiting for a reply or action from Matt Pahl, you will be waiting until after Skandera is long gone.
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Mitchell Chester seemed to be similarly compromised by his dual roles here in Massachusetts, as head of PARCC as well as Chair of the state board of education. The charges didn’t stick, though as we apparently have a rather weak code of ethics, at least for the head honchos.
However, if a teacher should receive a gift of a value of $50 or more (think of a gift card from an entire class, for example), it must be reported or it is an ethics violation. Teachers are required to submit to an on-line ethics training and to affirm they will abide by the rules set out.
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