On average, the funding gap between charter schools and traditional schools is 22 percent, or $1,800 per pupil. The average charter school ends up with a total funding shortfall of nearly half a million dollars.
Source: Charter School Funding: Inequity’s Next Frontier
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Note: Please be aware that online publishers often change URLs or no longer provide access to articles after 7 days. If any of the below links no longer work, access the publishing newspaper and search the archives for the keywords in the subject matter. Good luck.
Colleges Welcoming Charter School Students
At the start of this decade, as many charter schools prepared to send their first cohort of seniors to college, many universities hadn't heard of charter schools. "Now they realize that it was an untapped resource and that a number of students fit their criteria very well," said Tom Drexel, co-director of charter school Presidio High in Tucson, Arizona. Charter schools have moved beyond a reputation as a repository for students who failed in traditional school settings to an option for students seeking a niche education. As a result, colleges and universities no longer view charter schools as a passing fad and many are checking out charter schools for choice student prospects. Many successful charter schools combine a high school curriculum with college-level instruction. That model offers the rigorous coursework that helps students get into college, said Joel Vargas, of Jobs for the Future, a Boston-based education policy group.
Source: Arizona Daily Star, (08/01/2005)
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Several Charter High Schools to Open in Milwaukee
Eleven new public high schools will begin operation in Milwaukee this fall. The schools are opening through the redesigning of Milwaukee's high schools, which calls for some large schools to be broken into smaller ones. Seven of the schools are charter schools. The idea is that smaller learning environments for students will foster closer connections among parents, students and teachers, and ultimately improve the district's graduation rate. Charter school programs include a unique initiative that targets students who felt bullied or harassed in their old schools; a school that integrates technology throughout its curriculum, particularly through its focus on aviation, aerospace and aeronautics; and, a program that will encourage students to learn about social justice, leadership and service through participation in the community. About 50 new high schools will open through the initiative.
Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (free registration required), (07/31/2005)
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Charter School Group Seeks Expansion in California
The San Diego-based non-profit group behind a new California charter school, High Tech High Bayshore, is petitioning the state for clearance to be the first charter school group to spread its model across the state with no need for local approval. High Tech High Learning, the umbrella group, has six schools in Southern California and plans to open two new schools a year. High Tech High schools require internships, teach vocational skills with academic subjects, and assign projects like business plans and presentations. The schools follow the philosophy of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has donated millions of dollars to the schools. A section of charter school legislation passed in 2002 allows charter schools with high test scores to make the case that they should be allowed to use their model state-wide. California Department of Education board members will consider High Tech High's proposal in September.
Source: Mercury News (free registration required), (07/31/2005)
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62 Developers Vie for 30 Spots in Ohio Charter School Lottery
On July 29, 62 applicants competed for 30 spots in a lottery which determined which charter schools would be permitted to open in Ohio this year. The lottery was an emotional event for charter school developers who gathered to see if they would be among those selected. "I feel like the lottery came in the middle of when we were preparing to open," said Vivian Strickling, founder of NIA University Community School, a school that was not picked. "We already have a building, staff and students." Some unlucky applicants still may find ways to open. If any of the state's existing 250 charter schools decide not to reopen this fall, others could take their place. The state will allow operators of charter schools that have performed well on standardized tests and other measures to open additional schools. In addition, up to 30 schools could open this coming year if they found a traditional district that would sponsor them.
Source: Akron Beacon Journal, (07/29/2005)
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Charters Win Financing Case in Kansas City
A state judge has ruled against the Kansas City School District on four of its five claims for objecting to paying millions of dollars to charter schools. Cole County Circuit Judge Thomas Brown III has tossed out four of the district's five arguments for withholding funds, but said the district could proceed with a claim that the state acted capriciously in ordering payments to the schools. Brown also said the charter schools can proceed with their claim that the school district owes them an additional $40 million withheld from 1999 through 2004. "This ruling certainly bodes well for that motion," said Chuck Hatfield, an attorney for a majority of the city’s charter schools. "We expect to get a ruling on that motion sometime around the end of August." An attorney for the school district said the district probably would ask Brown to provide details about the reasoning for his ruling and may seek a review of the decision from a higher state court.
Source: Kansas City Star, (07/27/2005)
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Ohio Mandates New Tests for Charter Schools
Under a new law, Ohio charter schools not rated in the two highest of the state's five performance categories under the state accountability system will have to give an extra standardized tests at the start and end of each school year, in addition to the regular assessments. A subset of those charter schools will have to ensure that at least 55 percent of their students meet a growth target still to be set by the state. If a school fails to reach that target for three consecutive years, it is to be shut down. No district schools are subject to the new testing requirements. Sen. Joy Padgett, who chairs the education committee, said the new measures "will make Ohio a leader in accountability for e-schools and charter schools." Anita Nelam of the Ohio Charter Schools Association said that she is concerned that new requirements apply only to charter schools. Tom Mooney of the Ohio Federation of Teachers said that the new measures are too weak.
Source: Education Week (subscription required), (07/27/2005)
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Online Charters Possible in Indiana
Online charter schools may be coming to Indiana if Ball State University officials endorse the state’s first two applications. The demand for charter schools is increasing in the state. About 4,600 Indiana students enrolled in 22 schools last year, a 33 percent increase from the previous year. Seven new charter schools will open statewide this fall. The issue up for debate is the interpretation of a section of law that states charter school education cannot take place solely at home. Ron Gibson, of the Charter Schools Association of Indiana, thinks that means children must have regular access to a school building and school activities. Some lawmakers say it means control over school lessons should be in the hands of teachers, not parents. University officials have contacted the state Education Department and charter school authorizers in other states for help in evaluating the law and the proposals and hope to offer an answer soon.
Source: Indianapolis Star, (07/25/2005)
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Ohio AG Agrees to Review Teacher Union's Concerns About Charter Sponsor
The Ohio attorney general's office has agreed to review concerns raised by the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) about the legal status and operation of the Ohio Council of Community Schools (OCCS), a charter school sponsor. Tom Mooney, president of the OFT, said "We just have a lot of questions because it gets back to the accountability question. How is the Ohio Council of Community Schools accountable to voters, taxpayers, and the thousands of kids across the state in charter schools?" Mooney said one of his main concerns was how people are appointed to the OCCS, which was created by the University of Toledo when it decided to stop sponsoring charter schools. Some of the members of the board of the OCCS were selected by Allison Perz, Executive Director of the council. With 39 charter schools under its sponsorship and supervision, the council is the second-largest sponsor of charter schools in Ohio.
Source: Toledo Blade, (07/25/2005)
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Federal Land May Be Given to D.C. Charter Boarding School
President Bush has proposed to give the District of Columbia control over roughly 200 acres of federal land in the city. The move could increase D.C. tax revenue by tens of millions of dollars a year. Fifteen acres of National Park Service land northwest of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium would be turned over to the city on the condition that some of it be provided to a D.C. public charter boarding school, such as the SEED School of Washington which serves approximately 320 students in grades seven through twelve.
Source: Washington Post (free registration required), (07/16/2005)
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