Myth: Charter schools take money from traditional schools.

So this is how it works.

Schools have two sources for funds. The first is local, which means a portion of your property taxes, any bond issues or sales taxes that you vote to go to schools, and any local fundraising efforts. (Think Box Tops for Kids and similar programs.) The second is state, which means both state and federal funds. These funds go through the State Department of Education and are dispensed to schools based on a complicated bit of math called ‘State Aid’ formula. In a nutshell, each student has x amount of money attached to them. X is determined by taking a base amount and ‘weighting’ those funds for students whom are lower-income, have disabilities, or a variety of other needs-based factors.

Charter schools don’t get to dip from both funds. Charter schools only receive state funds, meaning no local taxes, no bond issues, etc. For instance, we live in Lawton, so our property taxes go to Lawton Public Schools. Our children attend Epic Charter School, so our State Aid funds go to Epic Charter School. The take-away is that our charter schools receive less money than our traditional brick-and-mortar schools, not more, as some critics would have you believe.

Do charter schools take money from traditional schools? Yes, when they take students. However, the traditional school no longer has to pay for that child, and gets to keep the local funds. So not only do they not lose money on state funds, but they are able to spread those local funds among fewer students. A win-win for traditional schools, which is why almost all Oklahoma charter schools are run by traditional school districts. You might notice that these districts are happy with their own schools. It’s the other schools that are villainous.

Random Thoughts

"The Fukushima situation has exposed a grave danger to our world. But the danger isn't radiation, it's the poor state of science education."

and

An Austrian atheist will be allowed to wear a colander on his head in his driver's license photo after successfully arguing that it counts as "religious headgear" for Pastafarians.

As a contrast, more people are upset about the Austrian atheist than the sad state of American education.

Prison Reform Rant

To everyone who dismisses the idea of prison reform because 'prison isn't supposed to be nice'. Or easy, or fun, or whatever adjective you like.

Do you like paying to incarcerate people with a treatable condition? To then pass on the financial burden of intergenerational incarceration to your children and your children's children? Is finding ways to help your fellow men, women and children to succeed so hard to swallow? Personally, I rather like the idea of a win win situation.

I care if my fellow Americans suffer. I understand that many of them are there for BS 'crimes' drummed up and criminalized in order to make money for the prisons. I understand that every American commits, on average, of three felonies a day and I don't spend my time looking down on regular people when I'm a regular person myself.

I understand that treatment is less expensive than incarceration, and I'm pissed that our lawmakers would rather waste my money on incarceration than spend it actually helping people. I understand that many of these people came out of homes with incarcerated parents and foster care with less than basic reading skills and can't get a job. (You know, just as an aside, there simply aren't jobs for 1 out of 5 people whom are currently unemployed, and people in prison don't even count towards that number!)

I understand that incarceration doesn't just affect the prisoner. It affects their whole family, and the entire community. I understand that as an Oklahoman, an American, and a freaking human being, I am a part of this community, and I want my money spent on things that help other people. Otherwise, it's a waste of money and lives.

And if you think that Oklahoma's prisons are a vacation, then you obviously haven't been sexually assaulted in one, as three out of five Oklahoma prisoners are. Do you think that rape is an acceptable punishment for a childless woman in possession of marijuana, or for leaking a music track onto the Internet without permission?

I don't.

Then again, I'm a human being.