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odsirim t1_j7q0miy wrote

Reply to comment by Deep_Language8429 in Landmark Pa. school funding case decided: The state’s system is unconstitutional by Hashslingingslashar

Coatesville has some funding issues due to Charter schools like you say, but its a stretch to say its one of the worst in the state. Coatesville's problems have always been overstated both in the local press and Chester County residents for decades. Keep in mind Chester County is the most affluent real estate tax base in PA, so Coatesville is often unfairly compared against those districts. Hopefully that changes with this ruling.

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Deep_Language8429 t1_j7q0tt6 wrote

Why aren’t the parents send their kids to the public schools then? I am a coatesville resident of 5 years and every child in my neighborhood goes to Collegium. Would like to understand how my analysis is a stretch and how Coatesville is the unfair exception…

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Girthero t1_j7qdl0i wrote

I think a lot of families hear all the bad press and I certainly don't blame families for wanting to do that. My neighborhood is about half and half. That said the grass isn't always greener... I know two other families that have switched from Collegium back to Coatesville this year. The one family was getting some serious bullying going on with their teen in Collegium high school. I'm not going to say the same doesn't happen at Coatesville, but I feel the staff is equiped to handled this because of the negative press the district has to endure regularily.

Academically kids that will perform well in Coatesville will do so because they have the support of their parents. And for those kids they were going to be college bound whichever district they went to. One example, Coatesville robotics club hosted the regional competition and advanced to the state competition this year so things like that are looking up for the district in that regard.

We have teacher shortages, but like many other districts experienced after the pandemic. They're as good as or better than any district in the area in my opinion. Also being a public school they have a hard requirement to have a PA State Teacher Certification. I don't believe all Charter school teachers have this requirement including Collegium.

In any case... Yes, Coatesville definitely suffers from funding shortfalls due to the Charter school formula, and hopefully this helps with that. Since the CASD school district has a disproportionate amount going to Collegium/Avon Grove as you've pointed out... the district suffers moreso due to economy of scale problems (i.e overhead of running multiple school systems, higher mileage bussing, etc.) and has had to raise real estate taxes as a result. We all suffer for that regardless of our choice of where to send our kids.

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Deep_Language8429 t1_j7qf2rn wrote

Thank you for the added insight. I am on the side of cutting out the Charter schools all together, the continued tax hike to accommodate the fraud of paying the Charter schools over sending kids to the public school is choking the real estate potential for the area. I can’t justify staying here any longer if taxes continue to rise, it’s theft the amount we are charged, $8k alone for larger homes in the area.

I wish the kids would go to CASD, if it’s as thriving as you have pointed out. I’m unsure if the press is the sole factor why parents are not sending them there, additionally no one in the state seems to be doing anything about CASD if the problems are also due to economy of scale. It’s so obvious something is not right there, and we just all continue to be ok with each hike.

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Girthero t1_j7qsh5d wrote

> I am on the side of cutting out the Charter schools all together, the continued tax hike to accommodate the fraud of paying the Charter schools over sending kids to the public school is choking the real estate potential for the area.

Yeah I'm in that camp. Charter schools always sounded like a band-aid type solution anyway. Instead of fixing the problems we're just choking the already failing school of funds and exporting them to another school where nothing stops them from eventually having the same problems of poor management, corruption, poor teachers over time.

Also I always felt like charter kind of robbed that sense of community public schools give.

Again never blamed anyone for wanting to send their kids there, but as a society I feel like this is not the most efficient use of our tax dollars.

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