Charters seek to level educational playing field in a flawed, underfunded system

Great op-ed by Kelly Davenport – “The Philadelphia school district reports that it spends $700 million annually on students who elect to leave behind their failing schools to attend better-performing charter schools. What’s not mentioned is that while this figure accounts for 25 percent of the district’s $2.86 billion public education budget, the 68,000 students enrolled in charter schools account for 34 percent of the district’s student population. This means that students who attend district public schools receive on average a $14,000 investment in their education from the district, while students who attend charter schools receive on average just $10,000.”