Here's how much money Boone County school districts may lose if a charter school opens

Columbia Public Schools could lose up to $13.3 million if just one charter school opens in Boone County based on financial analysis, said district spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark.

"When considering all six impacted districts, it's well above $13 million," Baumstark wrote in an email, referring to all the Boone County school districts.

Awaiting governor's signature

Charter schools are independent public school districts.

With the Omnibus Education Bill awaiting the signature of Gov. Mike Parson, the possibility of a charter school is looking more and more likely, despite opposition from educators and education officials.

The Columbia delegation of the Missouri House of Representatives sent a letter last week to the governor, appealing to him to veto the bill.

"Senate Bill 727 jettisons the voice of the local taxpayer and changes the funding formula for each charter school opening in Boone County," Baumstark said, referring to the legislation by its bill number. "Abandoning the obligation for equitable state funding, Senate Bill 727 requires the school districts of Boone County to absorb the entire funding impact of financial aid to a charter school."

Rural districts

The financial effect on rural Boone County districts may be more marked, Baumstark wrote.

"The school districts in Boone County experience a tremendous range in student size and local revenue," Baumstark said. "The opening of a charter school and the depletion of state and local funds from some of these rural districts would have a devastating effect on their continued ability to operate and/or operate at the level local taxpayers expect based on their investment."

The charter schools won't have the same level of accountability to the public, Baumstark wrote.

"Charter schools have no oversight by elected officials," Baumstark said. "Charter schools should not be permitted to handle millions in taxpayer dollars with no accountability. Charter school legislation would allow for the expansion of charter schools without a vote by local school boards. Voters made a choice to elect the school board and have also voted to approve levies and bonds to fund our public schools. By circumventing the authority of a locally elected board, the legislature is negating the choice voters made. "

Making hard choices

Linda Quinley, a former chief financial officer in CPS , now is senior director of school finance for the Missouri School Boards Association, where she has done a detailed financial analysis of how charter schools affect other public schools.

She also has worked as CFO at Kansas City Public Schools.

"My personal experience at KCPS was that we worked hard to keep neighborhood schools open while slowing losing students to charters," Quinley wrote in an email. "That became difficult, so choices had to made.  Choices such as close a neighborhood school or reduce offerings/services to students in all buildings. Neighborhood schools are loved by and valuable to their community and alumnae, so offerings to students were reduced over time. That resulted in virtually no fine arts in elementary schools and limited fine arts in middle schools. Limited foreign language offerings and high-level math and science as well as limited extra-curriculars for students were a common theme."

The teacher shortage will become more extreme if a charter school opens in Boone County, Quinley wrote.

Several Boone County Districts have gone to four-day weeks as a way to recruit teachers.

"The most important and challenging fiscal issue in Boone County should charters open will be the impact on teachers and leaders for school buildings," Quinley wrote. "We are already in a teacher crisis, and this will add to the number of needed FTE for teachers, principals, even leaders/superintendents. Where will they come from? Will they be appropriately accredited? Will students be served at the level they deserve? Will CPS be able to continue the good strides they have made on teacher compensation? Will charters be able to afford to match CPS in compensation?"

FTE is education shorthand for full-time equivalent employees. For example, two half-time employees is one FTE.

More: Columbia school board 'deeply concerned' about Missouri charter school legislation

Accountability, just different

There's no reason for the us-versus-them dichotomy put forward by charter school opponents, said Noah Devine, executive director of the Missouri Charter Public School Association .

He made the point that the legislation had advocates, including State Sen. Caleb Rowden, R-Coumbia , and State Rep. Cheri Reisch, R-Hallsville.

Reisch's advocacy for charter schools stemmed from her repeated unfounded claims that CPS students, identifying as animals, use litterboxes to go the restroom.

The taxpayer money should follow the taxpayers wherever they want to send their children, Devine said.

"Who does the money belong to?" Devine asked. "It's taxpayers. Public school money is taxpayer money."

If Boone County parents don't want a charter school, it won't open, Devine said.

"I attended Ridgeway," a CPS elementary school with enrollment from throughout the district, Devine said. "I love CPS. I want CPS to continue to be a great school district."

Accountability for charter schools looks different, Devine acknowledged.

If a charter school fails, it closes, he said.

"Charter schools can and do close," he said.

Charter schools have annual performance reports and students take the same Missouri Assessment Program exams, Devine said.

Every charter school every five years must justify its existence to the State Board of Education, he said.

"It's accountable, just in a different way," Devine said.

CPS could sponsor a charter school, he said.

"It would be an interesting conversation," he said.

Not everything is known yet about how a charter school might affect Boone County school districts, Quinley said.

"We speak of the fiscal impact as it is significant," Quinley wrote. "The greater challenge is really about the students while a change in available resources will impact students. Probably not right out of the gate, but over time."

Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on X at @rmckinney9.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here's how much money Boone County school districts may lose if a charter school opens