KC Schools ordered to pay charters $40 million!!!

[proud2BlibKansan]

If this court ruling sticks, it will devastate the KC School District. The annual budget is half what this judge says the district has to pay the charter schools.

Posted on Wed, Jul. 27, 2005

Judge rejects most of KC schools' case

By DEANN SMITH

The Kansas City Star


The Kansas City School District has suffered a setback in its battle with charter schools over millions of dollars in state funding — a total that could top $45 million.

Cole County Circuit Judge Thomas B. Brown III has tossed out four of the district’s five arguments for withholding millions of tax dollars from charter schools, including the district’s central claim. But Brown said the district could proceed with a claim that the state acted capriciously in ordering the payments.

District officials estimate the annual payments at $4 million to $6 million.

Brown also said the charter schools can proceed with their claim that the school district owes them an additional $40 million withheld from 1999 through 2004.

The district contended it had the authority to withhold the money because it was needed to help pay for court-ordered bonds used to build and improve buildings during the desegregation case. The district’s central claim in its lawsuit was that not withholding the money would violate the desegregation settlement.

Charter-school proponents, including Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, say the district has plenty of money and has illegally withheld the payments. As a state legislator in 2004, Kinder pushed a measure that said if the district had enough money to pay off the bonds, it no longer would be entitled to keep the $800 per student.


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http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/12230584.htm

[cornermouse]

1. Like most republicans, Kinder doesn't have a real good grasp

of what reality is like. Missouri's public schools are already being strangled by finances.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. But not the charters

They are going to reap a windfall if this ruling sticks. And that is really bad news. Have you been to see any of these charter schools? The ones in KC are full of kids who were expelled by the public schools and teachers who were fired by public schools. There are a few good charters, but the majority make our regular public schools look like award winning institutions. The charters have a long way to go to meet minimum standards.

[cornermouse]

4. Maybe they need to just close the charters if they're that bad.

I was under the impression that they were more or less private schools? Regardless, I know that our public school system isn't getting sufficient money. I still can't believe Missourians voted to take money away from the schools and give it to the Highway Department.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. LOL Good luck

on getting any charter schools closed. It's all about choice now, you know. Parents deserve to have a choice - at least that's the RW talking point. So parents in the poorer parts of the city can now choose to send their kids to crappy charter schools. And every kid who goes to a charter takes $$ for the charter with him and away from the underfunded public school system.

Charters in MO are only allowed in St. Louis and KC now. So the state is screwing the city kids first. Then once the urban schools are destroyed, I imagine they will approve of charters all over the state.

[rox63]

3. All part of the neocon plan...

...to destroy public education. :puke:

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Hey - great minds think alike!

See my post #5.