It’s time for Legislature to close the funding gap for Texas charter schools

U.S. News and World Report just confirmed what many of us know: Texas public charter schools are at the forefront of creating a revolution in terms of how we teach all kids and prepare them to succeed in college and the workforce of the 21st century.

In 1995, 22 years ago, the Texas Legislature had the vision and the wisdom to create public charter schools as a way for public schools to be more innovative.

That experiment can now be viewed as one of the most successful initiatives in the history of public education.

Of the top 25 high schools in Texas, half are public charter schools, according to the publication.

According to the list, these rankings look at four important metrics: if students perform better than statistically expected for students in that state; if disadvantaged students — black, Hispanic and low-income — perform at or better than the state average for the least-advantaged students; if students surpass a benchmark graduation rate; and college-readiness performance, using Advanced Placement test data as the benchmark for success.

These schools, no doubt, are generating more than the desired results first set by the Texas Legislature.

These school are no longer experiments, but proven models of success.

However, a great deal still needs to be done to realize the full potential Texas public charter schools have in the transformation of our public education system.

Despite the overall successes, Texas public charter schools receive, on average, approximately $1,400 less per student than their peers in other public schools.

This inequity in funding simply cannot continue.

With 141,000 students on wait lists hoping for access to these and many other public charter schools, the stakes are simply too high.

The Texas Senate has passed historic legislation to begin the process to close the illogical funding gap between different segments of the public education community.

It is time for the House to similarly act.

There are always those who want to create an adversarial relationship between public charter schools and our brethren in the traditional public education system.

This does not have to happen.

We all have the duty, as described by the Texas Constitution, with the most important governmental function ever granted: the education of our children.

There are numerous examples of public charter schools and traditional public schools working together, side-by-side, to serve the educational needs of a given community.

We’d encourage those interested to learn more about the KIPP/YES Prep/Spring Branch ISD and the Uplift/Grand Prairie ISD partnerships and tour those schools if possible.

Our public education system must serve many needs.

High-quality public charter schools have taken the lead in setting high expectations that all students can achieve, providing college access to thousands of first-generation college students, and serving an overwhelming share of underserved communities across the state.

Texas public charter schools will continue to pave the way in creating new and innovative paths to educate our children.

In 1995, Texas created the mechanism for a revolution in our public education system.

It is time for the Texas Legislature to finish the job and ensure all elements of the public education system are funded equally and fairly to accomplish the task of preparing our school children to compete and thrive in the workforce of the 21st Century.

This story was originally published May 5, 2017 at 7:59 PM with the headline "It’s time for Legislature to close the funding gap for Texas charter schools."