Nina Rees released the following statement regarding a lawsuit to rectify inequality in the way the state funds charter school and public district school students.
Washington, D.C. - National Alliance for Public Charter Schools president and CEO Nina Rees today released the following statement regarding Brown v. New York, a lawsuit brought by several western New York families of charter school students that seeks to rectify inequality in the way the state funds public charter school and public district school students. As the state continues its attempts to get the case thrown out, a Rochester Court today heard oral arguments demanding equal funding for students in charter schools who currently receive no facilities funding and, on average, 75 cents on the dollar compared to their district peers.
"The National Alliance stands with the brave New York families fighting for their children to receive a high-quality public school education. When students in charter schools receive less per-pupil funding than students in district schools, and receive no funding to support the facilities where they learn every day, its clear that charter school students are being short-changed.
"New York owes all of its public school students, whether they attend a charter or district school, the same level of support and access to strong educational opportunities. Anything less sends the message that the state does not equally value its charter school students, 90 percent of whom are students of color. New York's current charter school funding is unequitable, and the National Alliance applauds the heroic families fighting for their children and all children attending charter schools."
About Charter Public Schools
Charter public schools are independent, public, and tuition-free schools that are given the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for advancing student achievement. Since 2010, many research studies have found that students in charter schools do better in school than their traditional school peers. For example, one study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that charter schools do a better job teaching low income students, minority students, and students who are still learning English than traditional schools. Separate studies by the Center on Reinventing Public Education and Mathematica Policy Research have found that charter school students are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, stay in college and have higher earnings in early adulthood.
About the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter sector. For more information, please visit www.publiccharters.org.