WaPo opinion piece on charters

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' charter has added people to the special ed team over the past couple years, so I don't think they're counseling out kids with IEPs but rather they're providing more services. My kid has an IEP and someone I know who works in a DCPS said they were surprised my kid gets what she does because in the DCPS school she probably would not have been given so many minutes/hours of services.

That’s because funding is based on the level of services. More services? Higher needs IEP...more funding. Charters don’t have to share it with central office. They get all the funds. They may, in fact, be making money off of your child.

DP. Hey if a charter wants to make money off my child while providing him with great services, that’s fine by me! Meanwhile our DCPS has made abundantly clear they don’t want to provide any more services because he appears to be on grade level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' charter has added people to the special ed team over the past couple years, so I don't think they're counseling out kids with IEPs but rather they're providing more services. My kid has an IEP and someone I know who works in a DCPS said they were surprised my kid gets what she does because in the DCPS school she probably would not have been given so many minutes/hours of services.

That’s because funding is based on the level of services. More services? Higher needs IEP...more funding. Charters don’t have to share it with central office. They get all the funds. They may, in fact, be making money off of your child.

Wait, so charters are both counseling out kids with IEPs AND trying to make money off them by providing more services? I call BS on this argument both ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' charter has added people to the special ed team over the past couple years, so I don't think they're counseling out kids with IEPs but rather they're providing more services. My kid has an IEP and someone I know who works in a DCPS said they were surprised my kid gets what she does because in the DCPS school she probably would not have been given so many minutes/hours of services.

That’s because funding is based on the level of services. More services? Higher needs IEP...more funding. Charters don’t have to share it with central office. They get all the funds. They may, in fact, be making money off of your child.

Wait, so charters are both counseling out kids with IEPs AND trying to make money off them by providing more services? I call BS on this argument both ways.

Funding is done by LEA. Charter schools are their own LEA. This is why they get more money per pupil because they do not have to split the funds for central office. When DCPS receives their funding 40% of it goes to fund central office positions. This doesn't happen in charters. Now charters have to pay for their own service providers, buildings, etc. But if you can get a child and give them 12 hours pull out/inclusion that moves them up to a Level 2 IEP (more funding). You already have the special education staff in place, this isn't costing you any more to give these services. This formula works for a lot of situations. Give a kid a dedicated aide and if the child only partially needs the aide you can use them to help out with other students in the classroom. The funding for the aide comes from the child's funding, but you are using it for gen ed.

It isn't rocket science. Now, the schools that counsel out are more of the KIPP variety which I doubt many here are sending their kids there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' charter has added people to the special ed team over the past couple years, so I don't think they're counseling out kids with IEPs but rather they're providing more services. My kid has an IEP and someone I know who works in a DCPS said they were surprised my kid gets what she does because in the DCPS school she probably would not have been given so many minutes/hours of services.

That’s because funding is based on the level of services. More services? Higher needs IEP...more funding. Charters don’t have to share it with central office. They get all the funds. They may, in fact, be making money off of your child.

Wait, so charters are both counseling out kids with IEPs AND trying to make money off them by providing more services? I call BS on this argument both ways.

Funding is done by LEA. Charter schools are their own LEA. This is why they get more money per pupil because they do not have to split the funds for central office. When DCPS receives their funding 40% of it goes to fund central office positions. This doesn't happen in charters. Now charters have to pay for their own service providers, buildings, etc. But if you can get a child and give them 12 hours pull out/inclusion that moves them up to a Level 2 IEP (more funding). You already have the special education staff in place, this isn't costing you any more to give these services. This formula works for a lot of situations. Give a kid a dedicated aide and if the child only partially needs the aide you can use them to help out with other students in the classroom. The funding for the aide comes from the child's funding, but you are using it for gen ed.

It isn't rocket science. Now, the schools that counsel out are more of the KIPP variety which I doubt many here are sending their kids there.

or maybe just maybe ... some charters actually want to support SN kids and realize that more intensive early intervention in PK-K will set a child a child up to learn to read, write, and be in the classroom? the fact that they have this budgetary flexibility makes them seem even better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' charter has added people to the special ed team over the past couple years, so I don't think they're counseling out kids with IEPs but rather they're providing more services. My kid has an IEP and someone I know who works in a DCPS said they were surprised my kid gets what she does because in the DCPS school she probably would not have been given so many minutes/hours of services.

That’s because funding is based on the level of services. More services? Higher needs IEP...more funding. Charters don’t have to share it with central office. They get all the funds. They may, in fact, be making money off of your child.

Wait, so charters are both counseling out kids with IEPs AND trying to make money off them by providing more services? I call BS on this argument both ways.

Funding is done by LEA. Charter schools are their own LEA. This is why they get more money per pupil because they do not have to split the funds for central office. When DCPS receives their funding 40% of it goes to fund central office positions. This doesn't happen in charters. Now charters have to pay for their own service providers, buildings, etc. But if you can get a child and give them 12 hours pull out/inclusion that moves them up to a Level 2 IEP (more funding). You already have the special education staff in place, this isn't costing you any more to give these services. This formula works for a lot of situations. Give a kid a dedicated aide and if the child only partially needs the aide you can use them to help out with other students in the classroom. The funding for the aide comes from the child's funding, but you are using it for gen ed.

It isn't rocket science. Now, the schools that counsel out are more of the KIPP variety which I doubt many here are sending their kids there.

or maybe just maybe ... some charters actually want to support SN kids and realize that more intensive early intervention in PK-K will set a child a child up to learn to read, write, and be in the classroom? the fact that they have this budgetary flexibility makes them seem even better.

Agree. But when you are giving aides out in 3rd, 4th and 5th.....something else is going on. Or you tell a dedicated aide that they will be assigned to other children throughout the day. It's not always about the best interest of the kids. And that goes for BOTH DCPS and Charters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' charter has added people to the special ed team over the past couple years, so I don't think they're counseling out kids with IEPs but rather they're providing more services. My kid has an IEP and someone I know who works in a DCPS said they were surprised my kid gets what she does because in the DCPS school she probably would not have been given so many minutes/hours of services.

That’s because funding is based on the level of services. More services? Higher needs IEP...more funding. Charters don’t have to share it with central office. They get all the funds. They may, in fact, be making money off of your child.

Wait, so charters are both counseling out kids with IEPs AND trying to make money off them by providing more services? I call BS on this argument both ways.

Funding is done by LEA. Charter schools are their own LEA. This is why they get more money per pupil because they do not have to split the funds for central office. When DCPS receives their funding 40% of it goes to fund central office positions. This doesn't happen in charters. Now charters have to pay for their own service providers, buildings, etc. But if you can get a child and give them 12 hours pull out/inclusion that moves them up to a Level 2 IEP (more funding). You already have the special education staff in place, this isn't costing you any more to give these services. This formula works for a lot of situations. Give a kid a dedicated aide and if the child only partially needs the aide you can use them to help out with other students in the classroom. The funding for the aide comes from the child's funding, but you are using it for gen ed.

It isn't rocket science. Now, the schools that counsel out are more of the KIPP variety which I doubt many here are sending their kids there.

or maybe just maybe ... some charters actually want to support SN kids and realize that more intensive early intervention in PK-K will set a child a child up to learn to read, write, and be in the classroom? the fact that they have this budgetary flexibility makes them seem even better.

Agree. But when you are giving aides out in 3rd, 4th and 5th.....something else is going on. Or you tell a dedicated aide that they will be assigned to other children throughout the day. It's not always about the best interest of the kids. And that goes for BOTH DCPS and Charters.

I don't see any issue with giving out an aide who is also going to help the other kids. How is that not in their best interest to have more adults in the classroom, however it happens? And it sounds better than what we got with our DCPS - the classroom aide basically having to spend a lot of time on my child because of his needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' charter has added people to the special ed team over the past couple years, so I don't think they're counseling out kids with IEPs but rather they're providing more services. My kid has an IEP and someone I know who works in a DCPS said they were surprised my kid gets what she does because in the DCPS school she probably would not have been given so many minutes/hours of services.

That’s because funding is based on the level of services. More services? Higher needs IEP...more funding. Charters don’t have to share it with central office. They get all the funds. They may, in fact, be making money off of your child.

Wait, so charters are both counseling out kids with IEPs AND trying to make money off them by providing more services? I call BS on this argument both ways.

Funding is done by LEA. Charter schools are their own LEA. This is why they get more money per pupil because they do not have to split the funds for central office. When DCPS receives their funding 40% of it goes to fund central office positions. This doesn't happen in charters. Now charters have to pay for their own service providers, buildings, etc. But if you can get a child and give them 12 hours pull out/inclusion that moves them up to a Level 2 IEP (more funding). You already have the special education staff in place, this isn't costing you any more to give these services. This formula works for a lot of situations. Give a kid a dedicated aide and if the child only partially needs the aide you can use them to help out with other students in the classroom. The funding for the aide comes from the child's funding, but you are using it for gen ed.

It isn't rocket science. Now, the schools that counsel out are more of the KIPP variety which I doubt many here are sending their kids there.

or maybe just maybe ... some charters actually want to support SN kids and realize that more intensive early intervention in PK-K will set a child a child up to learn to read, write, and be in the classroom? the fact that they have this budgetary flexibility makes them seem even better.

Agree. But when you are giving aides out in 3rd, 4th and 5th.....something else is going on. Or you tell a dedicated aide that they will be assigned to other children throughout the day. It's not always about the best interest of the kids. And that goes for BOTH DCPS and Charters.

I don't see any issue with giving out an aide who is also going to help the other kids. How is that not in their best interest to have more adults in the classroom, however it happens? And it sounds better than what we got with our DCPS - the classroom aide basically having to spend a lot of time on my child because of his needs.

Because that is not what the funds are for. If a school wants more aides in the room, fine. But it should not come from a child with an IEP. Dedicated aide means dedicated to a particular student. It doesn’t mean use special education funds to hire another person to rove around in the rooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' charter has added people to the special ed team over the past couple years, so I don't think they're counseling out kids with IEPs but rather they're providing more services. My kid has an IEP and someone I know who works in a DCPS said they were surprised my kid gets what she does because in the DCPS school she probably would not have been given so many minutes/hours of services.

That’s because funding is based on the level of services. More services? Higher needs IEP...more funding. Charters don’t have to share it with central office. They get all the funds. They may, in fact, be making money off of your child.

Wait, so charters are both counseling out kids with IEPs AND trying to make money off them by providing more services? I call BS on this argument both ways.

Funding is done by LEA. Charter schools are their own LEA. This is why they get more money per pupil because they do not have to split the funds for central office. When DCPS receives their funding 40% of it goes to fund central office positions. This doesn't happen in charters. Now charters have to pay for their own service providers, buildings, etc. But if you can get a child and give them 12 hours pull out/inclusion that moves them up to a Level 2 IEP (more funding). You already have the special education staff in place, this isn't costing you any more to give these services. This formula works for a lot of situations. Give a kid a dedicated aide and if the child only partially needs the aide you can use them to help out with other students in the classroom. The funding for the aide comes from the child's funding, but you are using it for gen ed.

It isn't rocket science. Now, the schools that counsel out are more of the KIPP variety which I doubt many here are sending their kids there.

or maybe just maybe ... some charters actually want to support SN kids and realize that more intensive early intervention in PK-K will set a child a child up to learn to read, write, and be in the classroom? the fact that they have this budgetary flexibility makes them seem even better.

Agree. But when you are giving aides out in 3rd, 4th and 5th.....something else is going on. Or you tell a dedicated aide that they will be assigned to other children throughout the day. It's not always about the best interest of the kids. And that goes for BOTH DCPS and Charters.

I don't see any issue with giving out an aide who is also going to help the other kids. How is that not in their best interest to have more adults in the classroom, however it happens? And it sounds better than what we got with our DCPS - the classroom aide basically having to spend a lot of time on my child because of his needs.

Because that is not what the funds are for. If a school wants more aides in the room, fine. But it should not come from a child with an IEP. Dedicated aide means dedicated to a particular student. It doesn’t mean use special education funds to hire another person to rove around in the rooms.

Well that's the kind of rigid thinking I'm glad charters can get around. I don't see any reason with assigning a dedicated aide to a child who needs it, who may also help other kids a little. And the lines aren't that easy to draw - it could be very therapeutic and educationally appropriate for an aide to work with a small group of kids (including the kid with the IEP).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' charter has added people to the special ed team over the past couple years, so I don't think they're counseling out kids with IEPs but rather they're providing more services. My kid has an IEP and someone I know who works in a DCPS said they were surprised my kid gets what she does because in the DCPS school she probably would not have been given so many minutes/hours of services.

That’s because funding is based on the level of services. More services? Higher needs IEP...more funding. Charters don’t have to share it with central office. They get all the funds. They may, in fact, be making money off of your child.

Wait, so charters are both counseling out kids with IEPs AND trying to make money off them by providing more services? I call BS on this argument both ways.

Funding is done by LEA. Charter schools are their own LEA. This is why they get more money per pupil because they do not have to split the funds for central office. When DCPS receives their funding 40% of it goes to fund central office positions. This doesn't happen in charters. Now charters have to pay for their own service providers, buildings, etc. But if you can get a child and give them 12 hours pull out/inclusion that moves them up to a Level 2 IEP (more funding). You already have the special education staff in place, this isn't costing you any more to give these services. This formula works for a lot of situations. Give a kid a dedicated aide and if the child only partially needs the aide you can use them to help out with other students in the classroom. The funding for the aide comes from the child's funding, but you are using it for gen ed.

It isn't rocket science. Now, the schools that counsel out are more of the KIPP variety which I doubt many here are sending their kids there.

or maybe just maybe ... some charters actually want to support SN kids and realize that more intensive early intervention in PK-K will set a child a child up to learn to read, write, and be in the classroom? the fact that they have this budgetary flexibility makes them seem even better.

Agree. But when you are giving aides out in 3rd, 4th and 5th.....something else is going on. Or you tell a dedicated aide that they will be assigned to other children throughout the day. It's not always about the best interest of the kids. And that goes for BOTH DCPS and Charters.

I don't see any issue with giving out an aide who is also going to help the other kids. How is that not in their best interest to have more adults in the classroom, however it happens? And it sounds better than what we got with our DCPS - the classroom aide basically having to spend a lot of time on my child because of his needs.

Because that is not what the funds are for. If a school wants more aides in the room, fine. But it should not come from a child with an IEP. Dedicated aide means dedicated to a particular student. It doesn’t mean use special education funds to hire another person to rove around in the rooms.

Well that's the kind of rigid thinking I'm glad charters can get around. I don't see any reason with assigning a dedicated aide to a child who needs it, who may also help other kids a little. And the lines aren't that easy to draw - it could be very therapeutic and educationally appropriate for an aide to work with a small group of kids (including the kid with the IEP).

Yes. I’m so glad they can skirt the definition from IDEA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' charter has added people to the special ed team over the past couple years, so I don't think they're counseling out kids with IEPs but rather they're providing more services. My kid has an IEP and someone I know who works in a DCPS said they were surprised my kid gets what she does because in the DCPS school she probably would not have been given so many minutes/hours of services.

That’s because funding is based on the level of services. More services? Higher needs IEP...more funding. Charters don’t have to share it with central office. They get all the funds. They may, in fact, be making money off of your child.

Wait, so charters are both counseling out kids with IEPs AND trying to make money off them by providing more services? I call BS on this argument both ways.

Funding is done by LEA. Charter schools are their own LEA. This is why they get more money per pupil because they do not have to split the funds for central office. When DCPS receives their funding 40% of it goes to fund central office positions. This doesn't happen in charters. Now charters have to pay for their own service providers, buildings, etc. But if you can get a child and give them 12 hours pull out/inclusion that moves them up to a Level 2 IEP (more funding). You already have the special education staff in place, this isn't costing you any more to give these services. This formula works for a lot of situations. Give a kid a dedicated aide and if the child only partially needs the aide you can use them to help out with other students in the classroom. The funding for the aide comes from the child's funding, but you are using it for gen ed.

It isn't rocket science. Now, the schools that counsel out are more of the KIPP variety which I doubt many here are sending their kids there.

or maybe just maybe ... some charters actually want to support SN kids and realize that more intensive early intervention in PK-K will set a child a child up to learn to read, write, and be in the classroom? the fact that they have this budgetary flexibility makes them seem even better.

Agree. But when you are giving aides out in 3rd, 4th and 5th.....something else is going on. Or you tell a dedicated aide that they will be assigned to other children throughout the day. It's not always about the best interest of the kids. And that goes for BOTH DCPS and Charters.

I don't see any issue with giving out an aide who is also going to help the other kids. How is that not in their best interest to have more adults in the classroom, however it happens? And it sounds better than what we got with our DCPS - the classroom aide basically having to spend a lot of time on my child because of his needs.

Because that is not what the funds are for. If a school wants more aides in the room, fine. But it should not come from a child with an IEP. Dedicated aide means dedicated to a particular student. It doesn’t mean use special education funds to hire another person to rove around in the rooms.

Well that's the kind of rigid thinking I'm glad charters can get around. I don't see any reason with assigning a dedicated aide to a child who needs it, who may also help other kids a little. And the lines aren't that easy to draw - it could be very therapeutic and educationally appropriate for an aide to work with a small group of kids (including the kid with the IEP).

Yes. I’m so glad they can skirt the definition from IDEA.

If this is your big attempt to attack charters -- that they are more generous with aides under IDEA than DCPS -- I think you're failing!

And how is it skirting the definition under the IDEA anyway?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My views on charters have completely changed with COVID. Bring on the charters. Teacher’s unions don’t care about education.

+1. This has been an eye opening year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' charter has added people to the special ed team over the past couple years, so I don't think they're counseling out kids with IEPs but rather they're providing more services. My kid has an IEP and someone I know who works in a DCPS said they were surprised my kid gets what she does because in the DCPS school she probably would not have been given so many minutes/hours of services.

That’s because funding is based on the level of services. More services? Higher needs IEP...more funding. Charters don’t have to share it with central office. They get all the funds. They may, in fact, be making money off of your child.

Wait, so charters are both counseling out kids with IEPs AND trying to make money off them by providing more services? I call BS on this argument both ways.

Some charters do one and some do the other and yes, some do both. They make the money, don’t provide the services and then counsel the student out - and back to DCPS where the deficits that were exacerbated by the charter have to be addressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' charter has added people to the special ed team over the past couple years, so I don't think they're counseling out kids with IEPs but rather they're providing more services. My kid has an IEP and someone I know who works in a DCPS said they were surprised my kid gets what she does because in the DCPS school she probably would not have been given so many minutes/hours of services.

That’s because funding is based on the level of services. More services? Higher needs IEP...more funding. Charters don’t have to share it with central office. They get all the funds. They may, in fact, be making money off of your child.

Wait, so charters are both counseling out kids with IEPs AND trying to make money off them by providing more services? I call BS on this argument both ways.

Funding is done by LEA. Charter schools are their own LEA. This is why they get more money per pupil because they do not have to split the funds for central office. When DCPS receives their funding 40% of it goes to fund central office positions. This doesn't happen in charters. Now charters have to pay for their own service providers, buildings, etc. But if you can get a child and give them 12 hours pull out/inclusion that moves them up to a Level 2 IEP (more funding). You already have the special education staff in place, this isn't costing you any more to give these services. This formula works for a lot of situations. Give a kid a dedicated aide and if the child only partially needs the aide you can use them to help out with other students in the classroom. The funding for the aide comes from the child's funding, but you are using it for gen ed.

It isn't rocket science. Now, the schools that counsel out are more of the KIPP variety which I doubt many here are sending their kids there.

or maybe just maybe ... some charters actually want to support SN kids and realize that more intensive early intervention in PK-K will set a child a child up to learn to read, write, and be in the classroom? the fact that they have this budgetary flexibility makes them seem even better.

Agree. But when you are giving aides out in 3rd, 4th and 5th.....something else is going on. Or you tell a dedicated aide that they will be assigned to other children throughout the day. It's not always about the best interest of the kids. And that goes for BOTH DCPS and Charters.

I don't see any issue with giving out an aide who is also going to help the other kids. How is that not in their best interest to have more adults in the classroom, however it happens? And it sounds better than what we got with our DCPS - the classroom aide basically having to spend a lot of time on my child because of his needs.

Because that is not what the funds are for. If a school wants more aides in the room, fine. But it should not come from a child with an IEP. Dedicated aide means dedicated to a particular student. It doesn’t mean use special education funds to hire another person to rove around in the rooms.

Well that's the kind of rigid thinking I'm glad charters can get around. I don't see any reason with assigning a dedicated aide to a child who needs it, who may also help other kids a little. And the lines aren't that easy to draw - it could be very therapeutic and educationally appropriate for an aide to work with a small group of kids (including the kid with the IEP).

Yes. I’m so glad they can skirt the definition from IDEA.

If this is your big attempt to attack charters -- that they are more generous with aides under IDEA than DCPS -- I think you're failing!

And how is it skirting the definition under the IDEA anyway?

No, they are not more generous with aides. They get the funding and the dedicated aide for a specific student with an IEP and they “share” the aide with the gen ed population rather than having that aide actually be dedicated - which is illegal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' charter has added people to the special ed team over the past couple years, so I don't think they're counseling out kids with IEPs but rather they're providing more services. My kid has an IEP and someone I know who works in a DCPS said they were surprised my kid gets what she does because in the DCPS school she probably would not have been given so many minutes/hours of services.

That’s because funding is based on the level of services. More services? Higher needs IEP...more funding. Charters don’t have to share it with central office. They get all the funds. They may, in fact, be making money off of your child.

Wait, so charters are both counseling out kids with IEPs AND trying to make money off them by providing more services? I call BS on this argument both ways.

Some charters do one and some do the other and yes, some do both. They make the money, don’t provide the services and then counsel the student out - and back to DCPS where the deficits that were exacerbated by the charter have to be addressed.

Please post something, anything, substantiating that this is really happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' charter has added people to the special ed team over the past couple years, so I don't think they're counseling out kids with IEPs but rather they're providing more services. My kid has an IEP and someone I know who works in a DCPS said they were surprised my kid gets what she does because in the DCPS school she probably would not have been given so many minutes/hours of services.

That’s because funding is based on the level of services. More services? Higher needs IEP...more funding. Charters don’t have to share it with central office. They get all the funds. They may, in fact, be making money off of your child.

Wait, so charters are both counseling out kids with IEPs AND trying to make money off them by providing more services? I call BS on this argument both ways.

Funding is done by LEA. Charter schools are their own LEA. This is why they get more money per pupil because they do not have to split the funds for central office. When DCPS receives their funding 40% of it goes to fund central office positions. This doesn't happen in charters. Now charters have to pay for their own service providers, buildings, etc. But if you can get a child and give them 12 hours pull out/inclusion that moves them up to a Level 2 IEP (more funding). You already have the special education staff in place, this isn't costing you any more to give these services. This formula works for a lot of situations. Give a kid a dedicated aide and if the child only partially needs the aide you can use them to help out with other students in the classroom. The funding for the aide comes from the child's funding, but you are using it for gen ed.

It isn't rocket science. Now, the schools that counsel out are more of the KIPP variety which I doubt many here are sending their kids there.

or maybe just maybe ... some charters actually want to support SN kids and realize that more intensive early intervention in PK-K will set a child a child up to learn to read, write, and be in the classroom? the fact that they have this budgetary flexibility makes them seem even better.

Agree. But when you are giving aides out in 3rd, 4th and 5th.....something else is going on. Or you tell a dedicated aide that they will be assigned to other children throughout the day. It's not always about the best interest of the kids. And that goes for BOTH DCPS and Charters.

I don't see any issue with giving out an aide who is also going to help the other kids. How is that not in their best interest to have more adults in the classroom, however it happens? And it sounds better than what we got with our DCPS - the classroom aide basically having to spend a lot of time on my child because of his needs.

Because that is not what the funds are for. If a school wants more aides in the room, fine. But it should not come from a child with an IEP. Dedicated aide means dedicated to a particular student. It doesn’t mean use special education funds to hire another person to rove around in the rooms.

Well that's the kind of rigid thinking I'm glad charters can get around. I don't see any reason with assigning a dedicated aide to a child who needs it, who may also help other kids a little. And the lines aren't that easy to draw - it could be very therapeutic and educationally appropriate for an aide to work with a small group of kids (including the kid with the IEP).

Yes. I’m so glad they can skirt the definition from IDEA.

If this is your big attempt to attack charters -- that they are more generous with aides under IDEA than DCPS -- I think you're failing!

And how is it skirting the definition under the IDEA anyway?

No, they are not more generous with aides. They get the funding and the dedicated aide for a specific student with an IEP and they “share” the aide with the gen ed population rather than having that aide actually be dedicated - which is illegal.

One, I seriously doubt that you're telling the truth.
Two, even if there are some cases where charters are bending the definitions to provide more support to kids who need it, I say bravo. I have zero problem with that.