Back in February, an audit reported that the district ended the year with a $2 million surplus. That was a surprise finding and probably the last time we’ll see that ever again based on what the school district is sharing in today’s Daily Times.
Chester Upland also projects incurring an $11.56 million deficit during the current school year, which would leave the district with a $9.5 million deficit in its accumulated fund balance. It began the year with a $2.056 million surplus.
They’ve put out their preliminary budget which they claim is a worse case scenario.
“It is not a recommended budget by any stretch because there’s a substantial shortfall in the numbers between the revenue and the expenditures,” he said. “It includes some assumptions that we clearly believe will change. They have to change because the shortfall that you see there, about $22 million, is way too much for us to make up.”
They admit that it cost four-times more to educate a special education student than a regular student. So, why hasn’t someone come up with a special education only school? It appears to be a profitable opportunity.
...charter school special education tuition payments will increase from $29,300 to $35,000 per student. However, he said regular education tuition will fall from $8,400 to about $7,900.
Of course, we’ll keep losing students to charter schools. Didn’t they just approve the charter school for the arts last year? Somebody has to attend those schools.
Crawford said Chester Upland estimates losing another 350 students to charter schools next year. “We’ve got to get those students not to leave and encourage others to come back. That’s what makes us work — growing our enrollment.”
All I know is that they will fix the problem because the new superintendent has a 5 year contract. Either we’re going to keep absorbing loses or somebody has a built in golden parachute.
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And how much are they paying the new super? Much more than other district's superintendent. They will buy out his contract after 2 years and send him on his way with Chester's money. Nothing changes here no matter who has control.
ReplyDeleteWhay is Crawford still there? What are his qualifications other than he has been involved in the district's academic impotence for decades.
ReplyDeleteWith reimbursements like that no wonder the Chester Community Charter aggressively labeling incoming students as special whenever possible, to continue to game the system in any way they can. Not to mention investigating themselves for PSSA scores that were grossly inflated over the years, until the state watched last year and scores dropped 40% in many CCCS grades.
CCCS games the system while fleecing the taxpayer and fooling the parents. Wonder where the money is going? Gladwyne and Palm Beach, I suppose, but without public accounting, which the charter continues to fight in court, we don't know.