Frederick County PTA Opposition to Charter School Application

The [Frederick County] PTA has issued a very misleading action alert to its members, wrongly suggesting that approving our charter school will hurt existing programs. They try to raise fears about teaching being laid off as a result. Whether charter schools are budget neutral depends on the funding model FCPS [Frederick County Public Schools] uses, not the applicants. If anything, the PTA should be taking issue with FCPS, not us. 

Over the last year, the number of charter schools in the country increased 9%, despite challenging economic circumstances around the country. Despite its historic budget shortfall of $20 billion, the state of California lead the country in the creation of charter schools, increasing them by 12%. Other districts can manage to create charter schools, and FCPS has provided no reason why it cannot manage its budget as well as other districts who continue to start charter schools despite challenging circumstances.

This is outrageous. Is it any wonder why parents continue to leave the PTA?

I attached the "Action Alert" from the PTA below. Read it and decide for yourself.

Tom Neumark

Frederick Classical Charter School 

Action Alert Charter School Revisit 11211