To the editor:

In a democracy, few would argue that public education is a costly, but necessary statewide investment if communities, students and related economies are to thrive. In last week’s East Bay Life cover story, the reporter emphasizes, “Students are leaving, but the money is not.”

Key concerns raised in his piece are the size of this investment, the process by which state education funding is allocated to communities, and the flow of both students and dollars from traditional public schools to charter schools – all while public student populations are declining statewide.

Three-plus years ago, a “Special Legislative Task Force to Study Rhode Island’s Education Funding Formula” was established. In its detailed and prescriptive report (R.I. Senate, Jan. 28, 2020), the cover letter emphasizes, “Money is not a silver bullet, but an absolute necessity” to provide an equitable education for all, but it must be combined with “strong leadership and effective curriculum and instructional support.”

The Senate Commission’s research focused on this fundamental question: Is state aid to Rhode Island school districts adequate, appropriate, and effective? Some task force concerns have been addressed since the report’s publication. The recommendations cited below relate to last week’s article.

According to the Task Force report, many communities had been using state aid to displace rather than increase the education funds budgeted locally. The Commission recommended that the Rhode Island Department of Education be better prepared to provide needed oversight of district aid and related curriculum decisions and policy development. It is crucial that state funds are being used appropriately.

The Task Force also pointed out that state aid was inconsistent and unpredictable, dependent on a district’s changing property values, personal income levels, number of attending students, and percentage of high needs learners. The report recommends that any decrease in state aid be phased out over three years to minimize the disruption to a district’s planning and ability to function.

Accordingly, the Governor’s proposed budget uses a “band-aid” or measured approach to ease the loss of state aid through circumstances beyond a school district’s control.

According to the study, high needs students et. al. were not being counted effectively and more funding was needed for students’ experiencing poverty.

Additionally, the existing formula failed to provide adequate funding for Special Education and English language learners. This deficiency prompted the General Assembly in 2020 to create separate pools of money to fund both categories of students. The governor’s proposed budget is doing just that.

The Senate Task Force also echoed the reporter’s concern that charter school tuitions paid with state support have few strings attached. Such funds were provided without regard for duplication of services or proof that educational support is better in the charter school classroom. The Report recommends charter school funding be linked to the district school’s performance data.

A close review of charter school expansion and funding is especially important, given the current flight of Rhode Island students and dollars from public to charter schools. The reporter notes that 1 in 12 of these students attend charter schools today.

The Governor and General Assembly allocate many millions of dollars each year to support an equitable public education for all Rhode Island students. How those dollars are spent and allocated needs continual scrutiny. Charter schools, high needs student populations, and decreased school enrollment pose serious challenges to Rhode Island educators and taxpayers.

Though we should not “throw money into the pot,” we must not diminish the ability of our purely public schools to provide education equity.

Diana (Donnie) McGee
8 Seabreeze Lane