Update On The Charter School Funding Equity Bill (HB 3397)

Hello!

I want to give you an update on the status of NWCEO’s charter school funding equity bill, HB 3397.

It is still in the House Revenue Committee. Since our public hearing in mid-March, we have continued to talk with Legislators in both the House and Senate, and we continue to build bipartisan support for it. We have enough votes to successfully move it off of the House floor, and we have enough votes to successfully move it off the Senate floor. However, it is still “stuck” in the Revenue Committee.

You may hear about “do or die” deadlines for bills in the Legislature this session, but please know that these deadlines only apply to policy committees, and not to Rules, Revenue, Ways & Means, or Redistricting committees. Since our bill is in Revenue, it could “drag on” all the way until June 30th. We certainly hope it does not, but that is a possibility. Please know our bill is NOT “dead” at this point, but is very much alive.

The primary reason it has not yet been scheduled for a vote (i.e., “work session”) in Revenue yet is because Rep Phil Barnhart (from the Eugene area) has not yet agreed to do this. Five-six committee members have committed to voting yes, so we are continuing with a variety of efforts to persuade Rep Barnhart. If any of you have any connections with him, or with others who know him, please let me know. Additionally, we need to continue to communicate with Rep Jules Bailey and Rep Tobias Read, so any of you who live in one of their Legislative Districts, and/or otherwise have connections with them, please continue to urge them to support this bill, and to urge Rep Barnhart to schedule it for a vote.

In your messaging, please remember to acknowledge the current cuts to all K-12 schools and remind Legislators that the cuts hurt charter schools even more deeply because we have a “lower starting point” to begin with.

Other key messages to convey:

1. HB 3397 is not “more money charters.” It is decreasing the SUBSIDY that some districts currently have from charter school students.
2. HB 3397 would ensure that charters receive their equitable share of public funds allocated to districts based on “head-count.” This bill would not entitle charters to any facility funds, transportation funds, or local funds, so it would still leave charter kids with a disparity.
3. True, traditional public schools do not receive 95% of the SSF, but that is not an “apples to apples” comparison, as district schools receive extensive services from their districts, whereas each charter school is essentially an independent school system, and must provide all of its own financial, governance, personnel, facility, and other operational services.
4. If HB 3397 becomes law, it would “shift” about ¼ of 1% of the K-12 budget to “follow the students” (i.e., the sky would not fall). The impact to districts would be minor or nil, but the impact to charters would be significant, enabling them to have more stable staffing, programs, and facilities.
5. 5% is a typical “administrative rate” and more than adequate to support district charter school oversight responsibilities.

Thank you for continuing to share with us any responses you receive from Legislators.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions about this bill or other bills.

Best,

Kaaren

Kaaren Heikes, Executive Director
Northwest Center for Educational Options

Filed under: All School

Changes In The Lunch Program

Dear Trillium Families,

We have been working hard this year to get an amazing lunch program that serves hot, healthy food and pays for itself.  Beth and Elizabeth have been dedicated and have work so hard.  The trick is with the amount of reporting and compliance involved with being a National School Lunch Program with federal guidelines there is an incredible amount of labor that is required for the program.  Try as hard as we have, we have not found a way to make it economically viable at this time.

We do believe in providing healthy lunch so after much number crunching and brainstorming we have come up with a option we feel will meet Trillium’s needs.  We will no longer be participating in the National School Lunch Program.  We will have a morning snack and lunch to those who need it.  It won’t be fancy, but it will be FREE!  It sounds crazy, but it actually will cost Trillium less money to offer a simple free lunch choice that requires minimal preparation and no administration.  The preparation will be done by volunteers (let us know if you are interested in helping!) with the free Dave’s Killer Bread we get on weekly basis.
If you are in need of a breakfast – think granola bar or a bagel and a piece of fruit in the morning. Or a PB&J, milk, and a piece of fruit for lunch there will be food available. Breakfast will be served Monday-Friday and Lunch will be served Monday-Thursday.  We won’t be charging for these options, however donations will be accepted to keep the food cost down.  These changes will start on Monday, April 25th.

Thank you for your understanding-
Genevieve

Filed under: All School