To the Editor:

The Oak Bluffs School District pays “tuition” to the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School when a child from Oak Bluffs enrolls in the Charter School. The Oak Bluffs town administrator, Mr. Whritenour, is correct, but very misleading, in stating to The Times (Jan. 15, “Rising education costs bedevil Oak Bluffs budget”) that “the Charter School is also a drain on town finances, since Oak Bluffs has to pay 100 percent of the tuition for each student.” In the case of Oak Bluffs, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts pays the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School $20,190 per child who resides in Oak Bluffs and attends the Charter School. The Charter School educates the child, so the funding follows the child.

What Mr. Whritenour should inform the taxpayers of Oak Bluffs is that there is another part of this tuition arrangement the towns and school districts have negotiated with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. When a child chooses the option to attend the public charter school, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts reimburses the Oak Bluffs School District for six years after the child leaves the district. The Oak Bluffs School District is reimbursed 100 percent the first year and 25 percent for the next five years. In essence, when a 5-year-old child from Oak Bluffs chooses to attend the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School, the Oak Bluffs School District receives $20,190 the first year and $5,047 for the next five years. This is a total of $45,427 reimbursed to the Town of Oak Bluffs for not educating the child. Families from Oak Bluffs who have enrolled their children in the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School are Oak Bluffs taxpayers and should take offense at Mr. Whritenour’s position that “the Charter School is a drain on town finances.”

Charter schools are public schools open to all students, do not charge tuition, and operate independently of local school districts. It is our belief that the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School has been a positive option for families on Martha’s Vineyard during its first 19 years. All residents of Martha’s Vineyard are welcome to visit the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School to bear witness to how efficiently and effectively public funds are being used to educate the young people on the Island.

Robert M. Moore, director

Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School