Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Charter reimbursement change proposed by Baker

You've got this if you read my budget post, but hat tip to the Telegram for being the first press outlet I've seen to capture it.
Mr. Baker’s plan would keep the 100 percent first-year reimbursement. But in years two and three, that rate would drop to 50 and 25 percent, respectively, with all aid ceasing by year four. In addition, only low-performing districts devoting more than 9 percent of their net school spending to charter school tuition would be eligible for funding in the second and third years.
The governor’s fiscal 2017 budget, which he filed last week, would also back those changes with an extra $20 million for the charter reimbursement account – enough to ensure districts would be reimbursed at the full 100 and 50 percent rates during the two years after the measure passes, said James Peyser, state education secretary. He also admitted, however, that no such guarantee would be in place for subsequent years, and that future funding of the account would be “subject to appropriation, like everything else in the budget.”
Most districts that receive charter reimbursement are not, of course, at 9%.

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