Blame Misplaced

Originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Joel Naroff’s recent op-ed correctly identifies many of the historic and structural problems facing Philadelphia’s school system: declining population, aging buildings, shrinking tax base, and political resistance to reform.

However, Naroff misses the mark on charter schools. He argues charter schools “siphon off funds” from district schools. But only a portion of the per-pupil funding follows students to charters, meaning the district retains significant funding even after losing students.

But that framing is backward: Charter schools exist because families are seeking better service elsewhere. Instead of blaming competitors, a good business would ask, “Why are we losing customers?”

Read more at The Philadelphia Inquirer.