The financial hit to the Duneland Schools if the Discovery Charter School is allowed was debated Wednesday at the second public meeting on the proposed new school.

Discovery supporters said the financial impact on Duneland would be minimal, since Duneland would only lose the funding for each child who transfers to the new charter school but would no longer have the cost of educating those children.

But critics said the funding impact isn’t that simple. Assistant Superintendent Monte Moffett said even with fewer students, Duneland would have to maintain enough teachers to meet state-required ratios, in turn forcing cuts in other programs.

How much Duneland would actually lose is unknown, since it would depend on the number of current Duneland students who would transfer. Discovery projects that 150 students out of its total enrollment of 316 would transfer, resulting in about $825,000 in state funding that now comes to Duneland going instead to Discovery. But if all Discovery students came from within the Duneland Schools, the loss as projected by Moffett could reach $3 million a year.

A decision on whether Discovery Charter School will be granted a charter is expected within a week, said Larry Gabbert, director of the Office of Charter Schools at Ball State, which would be Discovery’s sponsor.

Gabbert collected comment cards from those in attendance at Wednesday’s meeting, held at the WaterBird Banquet Center, and said the comments will be forwarded to Ball State President Jo Ann Gora, who will make the final decision.

More than 100 people attended Wednesday’s meeting, a somewhat larger crowd than the first meeting that Ball State sponsored in late May. But unlike that May meeting, more comments against the Discovery Charter School were expressed Wednesday.

Discovery Charter School founding board member Laurie Metz said students who attend a private school or who are home schooled have exactly the same financial impact on the Duneland Schools as Discovery would: Duneland doesn’t have those children enrolled so it doesn’t get the state tuition support.

On the other hand, she noted that no state funding is provided for private school students, so in that sense the charter school is more beneficial, since it would actually bring new state dollars into the community instead of returning them to the state.

But Paul Kroeger, organizer of the parental group Stand Up for the Duneland Schools, said Discovery cannot guarantee what mix of students it will have, since it will have an open enrollment and a lottery if needed.

Moffett said charter schools are intended for areas where the public schools are having troubles. He contended that if every public school were as successful as Duneland, “there would not be a charter school movement.”

He added that the potential loss of up to $3 million for Duneland is significant, since Duneland could have fewer students across the board, but be unable to lay off a single teacher due to individual class size. That would likely prompt cuts in other areas, possibly in art, music or the international baccalaureate program, he said.

“It has great potential to do a great deal of harm,” he said.

But another Discovery supporter, Michelle Holmes, said Duneland Schools’ responsibility is to educate the students who walk through their doors and that it’s not their job to determine who else provides public education. She criticized the Duneland administrators for “overstepping” their role in opposing the charter school.

Several Discovery supporters said the charter school is intended to give parents an option, and should not be viewed negatively against the Duneland Schools.

Discovery founding board member Lisa Somacki cited her own story as a mother of twins. She said the two have completely different learning styles, with one doing well in school and the other faltering. She said she pulled that child out, sent her to private school, and within three weeks, “I saw a different child.”

“The second school was no better, only different,” she said.

Metz, too, said her own family thought about moving due to unhappiness with the local school. In this area, “where do you go?” if you want an educational choice, she said.

The Chesterton area is the hub for bringing together the diversity of families who have expressed support for Discovery. Some home school their children, some go to private schools, while others live in Beverly Shores or Miller Beach who want educational options.

“What we’re trying to do is to be an option for all of them,” she said.

But Joel Sutkin cited his own role as a parent and said that if there was something his children didn’t get from the public school, it was his obligation to find a way to fill the gap.

Similarly, Christine Kroeger said she remains perplexed by how the environmental learning that Discovery plans to emphasize is a “need” in this community. She acknowledged the strong desire for the outdoor, place-based learning, but said: “Desire does not equal need.”

But Heather Lucas, who has taught in both the traditional public schools and charter schools, said not all children learn the same way. Saying no to Discovery is “saying no to an educational opportunity,” she said.

Several others countered that there are already choices. Moffett responded to one Miller Beach parent who plans to send her children to Discovery by saying that in Gary, there are already six charter schools that she could choose from. And parent Charlotte Norgaard said she wants her tax dollars to support the Duneland Schools, but that her family made its own choice to send their children to St. Pat’s.

But another parent who has a child at St. Pat’s, TJ Thomas, said not everyone can afford private schools and that having the option of sending her child to Discovery would alleviate financial pressures for her.

But, Michael Hogan said choice “comes with a cost.” While Discovery supporters tout environmental education, another group might want a technology-focused school, while another might want one focusing on the arts. The Duneland Schools, meanwhile, don’t have the luxury of holding a lottery to see who will be let in, he said.

“When we start pulling away from a good school system, we’re hurting everyone,” he said.

Posted 7/3/2009