In Caire and his team’s view, One City and other charter schools are more accountable than traditional public schools given the specific academic goals and other stipulations in their charter contracts.
Wittke, the Republican lawmaker, said One City’s lobbying wasn’t a factor in his support for funding demonstration charter schools.
“I don’t care if there’s a thousand lobbyists or none,” he said. “What bothers me about that is I think these are all things on the outside trying to discredit someone instead of debating what the real issue is.”
Some staff, students and other supporters have rallied behind One City. Two dozen parent testimonials in support of One City were submitted to the Legislature, plus letters from teachers, support staff and administrators.
“We cannot continue doing the same things and expect different outcomes,” wrote Alexandra De Craene, a One City special education teacher. The bill would provide “the stability needed to innovate, scale effective practices, and close achievement gaps statewide.”
One parent of a third grader, who didn’t provide a name, cited funding in particular as one of One City’s “many obstacles to success.”
“Like anything, One City isn’t perfect, but it is constantly improving — every year has been better than the last,” the parent wrote. “My hope for us at One City is that the larger community around us continues to believe in and support this school, because magical things are happening here that can genuinely change the world if given the chance.”
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However, the amount of per-pupil public taxpayer dollars received by independent charter schools like One City is several thousand dollars less than an average public school.
One City receives about 55% of its funding from public sources and raises the other 45% from private donors. For example, one donor funded about one-fifth of its operations last fiscal year, the school’s financial statements show.
One City’s leaders argue the proposed boost in funding would bring it up to what they estimate would be the average amount of public dollars that other Wisconsin public schools receive per student in the 2026-27 school year. (One City’s calculation, however, doesn’t account for increases in certain kinds of state aid for traditional public schools, and it excludes about $2,000 per student in federal dollars it receives via reimbursements.)
“If we don’t do the work and make the investment, you can’t take kids who are at the bottom of the barrel — they’re at the bottom of academic performance — and move them to the top,” Caire said.
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Notes and links on Kaleem Caire’s tireless life!
A majority of the taxpayer funded Madison School Board aborted the proposed Madison Preparatory Academy IB Charter School.
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3,887 Madison 4 year old to third grade students scored lower than 75% of the students in the national comparison group.
Madison taxpayers have long supported far above average k-12 tax & $pending. This despite our long term, disastrous reading results.
Madison Schools: More $, No Accountability
The taxpayer funded Madison School District long used Reading Recovery…
The data clearly indicate that being able to read is not a requirement for graduation at (Madison) East, especially if you are black or Hispanic”
A.B.T.: “Ain’t been taught.”
My Question to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Teacher Mulligans and our Disastrous Reading Results
2017: West High Reading Interventionist Teacher’s Remarks to the School Board on Madison’s Disastrous Reading Results
Madison’s taxpayer supported K-12 school district, despite spending far more than most, has long tolerated disastrous reading results.
“An emphasis on adult employment”
Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]
WEAC: $1.57 million for Four Wisconsin Senators
Friday Afternoon Veto: Governor Evers Rejects AB446/SB454; an effort to address our long term, disastrous reading results
Booked, but can’t read (Madison): functional literacy, National citizenship and the new face of Dred Scott in the age of mass incarceration.
When A Stands for Average: Students at the UW-Madison School of Education Receive Sky-High Grades. How Smart is That?