House funds MUSD charter schools one more year

The state House voted late Thursday to allow funding to district-sponsored charter schools that converted this academic year for the upcoming school year – but not beyond.

Last week the Senate, as part of its consideration of SB 1485 and 1488 – the budget package – voted to declare a moratorium on funding for all district-sponsored charter schools not converted by June 2013.

Maricopa Unified School District converted six of its schools to charter schools this year but plans to implement the programs in the upcoming 2014-15 year.

“While it’s positive that they restored public-charter funding for the upcoming school year, our representatives voted to take these funds from MUSD while still allowing other public districts to keep them after 2015,” said MUSD board member AnnaMarie Knorr, who lobbied this week for permanent funding.

“Our students deserve the same opportunities and it’s unfortunate that Reps. (Steve) Smith and (Adam) Kwasman don’t support our students. Fortunately, there is an election between now and when the funds are set to expire and we can work on electing representatives and senators who will fully restore our funding and give the children of Maricopa the same educational opportunities that other districts have.”

The schools that lose the funding in perpetuity will have to decide whether they want to continue to operate as charter schools in 2016 and look for additional funding elsewhere or revert to traditional schools, said Rep. Steve Smith, R- Maricopa, who supported the House amendment.

Smith said the initial five or six schools across the state that converted to charters will continue to receive the funding but there are an additional 59 schools that recently converted; they will not receive the additional charter funding past the next school year.

Smith said he “fought all week to ensure the funding did not stop now,” calling the vote a compromise. The extended funding will cost the state $33 million.

He said the House also voted to place a moratorium on this funding for schools that subsequently decide to convert to charters.
The House amendment goes to the Senate for a vote.

Rep. Heather Carter, R-Cave Creek, was part of a coalition of House members who tried to restore funding to the charter schools.

“I am disappointed that on the 20th anniversary of the charter schools statutes, the Legislature voted to take away the ability for school districts to charter,” Carter said. “The schools that chose to charter are doing some of the most innovative programs I’ve seen in Arizona. And now they will have to figure out how to do these programs with limited resources moving forward. Or the programs will have to be cut.”

“Schools were doing exactly what the Legislature asked them to do,” she said. “They were being innovative and trying to compete and ensure that every student receives a world-class education. And just at the time the schools were doing that we stop the funding source for these programs.”

***ADVERTISEMENT***MUSD planned to hire more teachers with the additional charter-school money it expected before the recent legislative changes. On Friday, Superintendent Steve Chestnut said the school board will have the final say any new hires.

“The budget committee is currently recommending that we hire additional teachers,” Chestnut said. “The budget committee’s recommendations are being made to me and the cabinet. The cabinet and I are in the process of finalizing our recommendations to the governing board.”

The board approved teachers salary increases this week contingent on the approval of the funding. Chestnut said the state bugdet is still ongoing and needs Senate approval and the governor's signature, adding, "things look pretty promising."

Carter said she thinks the vote was 33-27. The Legislature’s website has not yet put the vote number online.

District 11 legislators Rep. Kwasman, R-Oro Valley, and state Sen. Al Melvin, R-Tucson, did not return calls for comment.