Did You Know?

There is a big hubub is going on right now -- in case you missed it.  This is one that has parents all over Georgia either angry, worried, or at least concerned sensing a "disturbance in the force".  We are hearing talk about Georgia's upcoming elections and the decision we voters will be making about the future of our public school system.  Do you know what this is really all about?  It seems those who are "in the know" are very passion ate about their positions -- on both sides of this debate.  So let's look at some of the points I've seen brought up in this debate and scrutinize them, shall we?

Did you know charter schools are not, in fact, harming traditional public schools by taking money that should be going to them. 

I have my daughter enrolled in a charter school but my local tax dollars still go to the school she's zoned for.  So, they're getting money for a kid they don't even have to teach.  That sounds like a win for them if you ask me!  So, why are the local school boards saying  charter schools divert money away from traditional public  schools?  For each child a school has enrolled, it receives money from the federal department of education, the state department of education and the local board of education.  So, while her old school still gets paid local tax dollars, the state and federal dollars follow my child to her new school.  But, if I home-schooled or sent her to a private school, the local school would still not be getting those federal or state dollars.  The only way the local school gets that money is if it teaches that child.  Shouldn't the school that's teaching my child be getting  the money for doing the job?  All this noise they're making about "losing money" when kids go to charter schools.  Does it not make sense that the school instructing the child should receive the state and federal money for doing so?  Remember, our old school is still getting the local tax dollars for her.