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星期二, 10月 25, 2016

選票第二個問題特許學校 反對方意見

Question 2 Proponents Already Planning to Circumvent Will of Voters, Expand Charter Schools Whether They Win or Lose
Beacon Hill Insider, Charter Applicants Reveal Post-Election Plot
BOSTON — As public polls show Question 2 in danger of failing this November, the ballot question’s proponents are already plotting to circumvent the will of the voters and drastically expand the number of charter schools in Massachusetts, regardless of the outcome of the election. In an interview with Jim Braude on WGBH’s Greater Boston last night, lead Question 2 spokesperson and consultant Marty Walz revealed plans to target communities that support Question 2 for charter expansion after the November election, should Question 2 not pass.
“What if there’s a new proposal in the legislature to lift the cap in the communities where there is a Yes vote?” said Walz, a former State Representative who was House Chair of the Joint Committee on Education, a ranking member of House Ways and Means, and a member of the House leadership team. “If the No votes come from certain communities that indicates people in those communities don’t want more charters.”
Public polls in recent weeks have shown support for Question 2 in the suburbs south of Boston and surrounding Worcester, meaning that those communities are likely to be targeted for charter expansion if Question 2 fails statewide.
“The proponents of Question 2, funded by hidden out-of-state billionaires, could have written a ballot question that only applies to the communities at the charter cap,” said Sean Costello, Chair of the Marshfield School Committee, who debated Walz on WGBH last night. “Instead, Question 2 is a reckless proposal that will wreak havoc on every community in Massachusetts. Facing the possibility of defeat, they are now proposing to disregard the will of the voters with backdoor legislation allowing an unlimited number of charter schools in communities that vote Yes on Question 2.”
In the Worcester Telegram & Gazette this weekend, charter school applicants revealed their plans to target suburban communities that support Question 2 for future charter expansion.
“Knowing which communities in Massachusetts are pro-charter will be priceless information for future charter developers,” said Anne Stuhlman, who was part of an unsuccessful application to the state last year to open a charter school in Shrewsbury, which is already losing $677,076 to charter schools this year.
Concetta Verge, a proponent of a Fitchburg charter school which was also unsuccessful, “said there are ‘a lot of isolated, small groups’ in the region that are in favor of the charter model that would be emboldened by a yes vote on 2. Especially in Central Massachusetts, where recent attempts to open new charters have failed to get much traction, a showing of support for the idea from local voters would make a ‘big difference’ in whether those groups, or new ones, try again,” according to the Telegram & Gazette.
“These comments show the truth about Question 2: no community is safe from unrestricted charter school growth, and local votes will be used as a sign of support for local charter school expansion” said Juan Cofield, president of the New England Area Conference of the NAACP and chair of the Campaign to Save Our Public Schools. “It’s more important than ever for voters in every single community to vote No on Question 2.”

Background on Question 2
Charter schools are privately run schools that operate with taxpayer funding. Every time a new charter school opens, it takes money away from the public schools in that school district. This year, according to state data, 231 local school districts will lose a projected $451,338,729 to charter schools, even after state reimbursements.1 That’s why 200 school committees across the state have voted to oppose Question 2.2
A statewide commission recently reported that public schools in Massachusetts are already underfunded by more than $1 billion, even before Question 2.If passed, Question 2 would allow the state to approve 12 new charters schools a year, every year, forever, with no limit on how much money a single school district could lose. This would nearly triple the number of charter schools in just 10 years and take away an additional $1 billion each year from our local public schools. After 20 years, local public school districts would be losing nearly $4 billion a year to charter schools.4
Local communities and their school committees have no say in the approval or operation of charter schools. The state approves charter schools even when the communities where they will be located are opposed to them. This has happened in Brockton, Gloucester and many other communities.
A growing list of local and statewide organizations oppose Question 2, including the Massachusetts PTA, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, the Massachusetts Elementary School Principals' Association, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, the NAACP New England Area Conference, Progressive Massachusetts, Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts, and city councils, school committees, and boards of selectmen representing more than 240 communities across the state.
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Save Our Public Schools is a grassroots organization of Massachusetts families, parents, educators and students. We are committed to ensuring equal educational opportunity for every child; less testing and more learning; stopping the state from opening additional charter schools that will drain millions more from public education; increasing funding to provide high-quality public schools for all children; and protecting local control over schools. Our public schools cannot afford to lose vital funding while we are seeing programs cut and activities reduced. Learn more and sign up for updates at saveourpublicschoolsma.com.

1. http://saveourpublicschoolsma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/FY17-Sending-District-Money-Lost.pdf
2. http://masc.org/publications-3/charter-schools/734-charter-school-cap-resolution-school-districts-list
3. http://www.mass.gov/legis/journal/desktop/2015/fbrc.pdf
4. http://massteacher.org/~/media/Files/charter_schools/simulation_of_funding_loss.xls

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