The proposed International Charter School of Southeastern Massachusetts in Brockton could drain nearly $5 million in state aid next year from 13 school districts from Randolph to Middleborough - a prospect that is causing unease among area superintendents who are already facing budget shortages.
The loss would occur as students switch from existing school districts to the new charter school. Each time a student leaves, the school district forfeits about $9,600 in state education aid, which goes to the charter school.
The charter school, if approved by the state Board of Education in February, is expected to start with 500 students in kindergarten through Grade 5, and eventually expand to K-12 with 1,300 students. That enrollment equals $12 million in state aid.
The Brockton public schools are expected to bear the largest loss of students, but superintendents of nearby districts are also worried.
The financial impact could be huge, they say; for example, the departure of just four students could mean the loss of funding for one teaching position.
Sabis Educational Systems, a for-profit corporation based at a private school in Minnesota, would run the proposed charter school, although it would be governed by a local board of directors, which submitted the application for state approval.
"I don't have any problem with wealthy people who want to take their kids to private school, but don't take money away from less well-to-do kids," said Basan Nembirkow, superintendent of Brockton schools. "I will fight tooth and nail for free public education that will provide the best opportunities to every kid that comes through the door of Brockton Public Schools."
Nembirkow said a loss of $6 million or $7 million in state aid annually could bring progress to a screeching halt.
The potential loss of state aid to school districts has been a common theme in debates over new charter schools across the state.
Charter schools - often trumpeted as a way to provide an innovative public education outside the constraints of teachers unions and other rules - rely almost exclusively on funding from state aid.
Charter school supporters and the state argue that the school districts are educating fewer students so they need less state aid. They also say the financial repercussion will force school districts to improve so fewer students leave.
But school districts counter that the loss of students doesn't always translate into less spending.
Departing students often are sprinkled across several grade levels or schools, making it hard to cut classrooms or a school bus route, leaving them to slash programs or increase user fees.
"With the way budgets are today, we need every dime we can get," said Tony Sarno, the soon-to-be interim superintendent for Stoughton schools, one of the affected districts. "I know people say competition is good, but why have competition if it adversely affects so many school districts."
Aminah Pilgrim, chairwoman of the board for the International Charter School of Southeastern Massachusetts, said the group is sensitive to concerns over the loss of state aid, but she said the dire predictions go too far, especially when districts don't yet know exactly what the financial impact will be.
Pilgrim and other supporters confronted a barrage of criticism this month at a state-sponsored public hearing on the proposal.
"The opposition has created a climate of fear around this project, particularly in the minority community," said Pilgrim, a history professor at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. "To suggest this school will take resources away from other children is unfair."
The state reimburses school districts for some of their lost aid, but the financial drain can still be steep.
Both Brockton and Randolph - another district that could be hit hard by the charter school - received state reimbursements last year of about 50 percent, leaving Brockton with about $765,000 in lost state aid for about 160 students to attend charters, while Randolph lost more than $450,000 for about 95 students, according to the state education department's website.
Those figures don't include additional money that school districts spend to bus their students to the charter schools.
Charter schools are public schools that operate independently of school districts and are open to all students for free. However, there is often a lot of tension between traditional school districts and charter schools because of the funding mechanism.
"I believe that it is inappropriate to divert public funds to support what are essentially private schools," said Randolph schools Superintendent Richard Silverman in an e-mail. "The entire charter school movement drains resources from the schools and districts that are most in need and breaks down the concept of the community working together for the common good. The addition of yet another charter school targeting Randolph students is an example of how that process damages local schools."
Some have questioned the need for the charter school, saying the region offers plenty of choices for public education. In addition to six operating charter schools south of Boston, including those in New Bedford and Fall River, several public school districts, such as Avon, allow students from other districts to enroll.
And skeptics also contend that the international charter school curriculum - which boasts a rigorous college preparatory program and a global curriculum, including the teaching of Spanish, starting in kindergarten - is available at other public schools.
Brockton has an elementary school that teaches Spanish in all grades, and a middle school with a highly regarded international college preparatory program.
The district also teaches an assortment of foreign languages, including Portuguese, Latin, and Chinese.
As the state considers the proposal, charter proponents have been holding informational meetings for parents, mostly in people's homes, and handing out pamphlets.
The campaign has been limited to Brockton, but will include Easton and Randolph.
One of the founding members, Fred Fontaine, a trustee of South Shore Haitians United for Progress, quit the board since the proposal was announced in August. Fontaine declined to comment when reached by phone last week and referred questions to the board.
Pilgrim said it was difficult for Fontaine to stay on board with the mounting opposition.
Indeed, the battle in Brockton in many ways has become personal.
Nembirkow, the superintendent, is an immigrant who speaks nostalgically about how traditional public education transformed his life. He said he fears the charter school will entice away the most active parents when the city's schools are struggling to get parents involved. That, he said, will hurt families who don't have the resources to advocate for education.
But Pilgrim countered that she has less affluent children at heart in opening the school.
"The charter school movement is about opening choice to other people who might not have that access," Pilgrim said. "Often times choice is prohibitive to a large part of the population. . . . I will continue to spread the message of the school's mission and I will continue to share with anyone who is interested all the positive attributes of the school."
James Vaznis can be reached at jvaznis@globe.com.
