Title
Authorizing the Committee on Education to hold public hearings to examine the state of charter education in Philadelphia, including charter school funding, authorization and renewal practices, and the role charter schools play in providing educational opportunities for Philadelphia students and families.
Body
WHEREAS, Philadelphia is home to one of the largest charter school sectors in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with approximately 64,469 students enrolled in charter schools across the city; and
WHEREAS, Charter schools are an important part of Philadelphia’s public education landscape, providing families with additional educational options and allowing parents and students to choose learning environments that reflect their individual needs, goals, and aspirations; and
WHEREAS, For many Philadelphia families, the ability to choose the right educational setting for their children is an important part of ensuring that every student has an opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia’s charter schools serve students and families across neighborhoods throughout the City and have become an important part of the educational communities they serve, making it essential that their role in Philadelphia’s public education system be examined with care and with the experiences of students and families at the center; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania’s charter school funding structure, in which school districts are required to pay per-pupil tuition to charter schools based on their own per-pupil expenditures, has direct implications for resource allocation across Philadelphia’s public education system; and
WHEREAS, a 2023 Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruling found the state’s school funding formula to be unconstitutional, and subsequent state budget proposals have sought to address a documented $4.5 billion adequacy gap, with Philadelphia charter schools receiving an additional $650 per pupil as a result of new adequacy funding; and
WHEREAS, The authorization and renewal of a charter school has significant consequences for students, families, educators, and the communities that rely on these schools, affecting a school’s ability to plan for staffing, programming, enrollment, facilities, and other long-term investments; and
WHEREAS, Operating an education program under a one-year authorization can create significant uncertainty for school leaders, educators, students, and families, making it difficult to make long-term plans, retain staff, maintain programming, and provide families with the stability they need when making decisions about their children’s education; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia’s students and families deserve an authorization and renewal process that provides meaningful accountability while also offering schools sufficient clarity and stability to plan responsibly for the students they serve; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia families, educators, community members, and policymakers deserve a full and public examination of the policies shaping charter education in the City, including funding structures, school choice, authorization and renewal practices, and the long-term stability of educational opportunities available to Philadelphia students; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Council of the City of Philadelphia, that the Committee on Education is hereby authorized to hold public hearings to examine the current state of charter education in Philadelphia, including the role of charter schools in providing educational options to Philadelphia families, charter school funding, authorization and renewal practices, and the experiences of students, families, educators, charter school operators, the School District of Philadelphia, the Board of Education, and other relevant stakeholders.
End