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.
Jon Meacham, Editor of Newsweek, to Keynote at 2007 National Charter Schools Conference
Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham will be the kickoff keynote speaker at the 7th National Charter Schools Conference, set for April 24 – 27 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. More than 3,000 charter school colleagues will convene in the "Land of Enchantment" to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the movement and to hear Meacham's global outlook for educating students in the next 15 years and beyond. Meacham joins Kevin Johnson, former NBA basketball star and Founder/Chairman of the Board of St. HOPE Academy Charter School, as conference keynotes. Go to the conference website to register, make hotel reservations, and find out how to sign up for graduate credits/CEUs or to participate in the Virtual Career Fair. Hosted by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the conference will feature more than 120 breakout sessions, focusing on Quality, Policy, Advocacy and Capacity. For questions, e-mail nationalconference@publiccharters.org or call 206-463-3344.
Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, (11/09/2006)
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Districts Seek to Duplicate Success of California's Charters
Public charter schools in California have outperformed district school counterparts on standardized tests, and educators in charter and traditional schools are hoping they can use the results to improve education across the state. "A charter does have flexibility, and it's held accountable for the results," said Caprice Young of the California Charter Schools Association. "It's accountable, because there's always the threat that the charter can be shut down if you don't perform. The threat of closure leads to an increase of focus and accountability." Young suggests the success of charters has caught the eye of state education officials, and some school superintendents agree. "Competition isn't always a bad thing," Lodi Unified School District Superintendent Bill Huyett said. "We could learn from each other. Some good, friendly competition can be good for the system."
Source: The Record, (10/21/2006)
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Charter Schools to Provide Bus Service in New Orleans
New Orleans public schools will ensure its charter schools provide school bus service to their students, resolving a lawsuit filed last month challenging a charter's decision not to provide transportation to children. A Lusher Elementary parent had filed the suit against the school system, citing a state law that requires all public schools to provide bus transportation. Orleans Parish School Board members have agreed to reimburse the parent's legal fees, notify all of their charter schools of the requirement, and offer assistance with coordinating bus service through the district's carrier.
Source: The Times-Picayune, (10/20/2006)
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Commissioners in Florida Approve Study for Converting District Schools to Charters
Pembroke Pines' commissioners have granted their city manager permission to conduct a feasibility study
about the possible take-over of the 13 Broward County public schools within its city limits. The City Commission took the action at the request of City Manager Charles Dodge, who doubles as superintendent of the charter system, which has been operating since 1998 and runs seven schools. Commissioners authorized Dodge to do a feasibility study that will be finished by March. Parents and teachers could vote on whether to make the change in May. By law, the schools could only convert to charter status if at least half the parents and teachers agree.
Source: Miami Herald (free registration required), (10/20/2006)
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Districts Seek to Open Charters in Arkansas
Four districts in Arkansas are seeking to open conversion charter schools in the 2007-2008 school year. The state currently has seven conversion charter schools and eight open-enrollment charter schools. The Beebe district wants to establish a school for nontraditional students in grades seven through 12. The Osceola district proposes to turn its high school into a charter school to offer more rigorous coursework. Texarkana wants to form a partnership with a church to create a school for students in kindergarten through fourth grade who are not succeeding in traditional classes. Vilonia hopes to create a technology school for grades 5-7. The districts have filed letters-of-intent with the Arkansas Department of Education, which is the first step charter developers must take to form a charter school.
Source: KATV news, (10/20/2006)
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Michigan's Charter Schools Attract Students from Private Schools
Michigan's charter schools have drawn 20 percent of their population from private schools, a recent study finds. The other 80 percent are thought to have transferred from district schools. The study did not consider home schools as a source of transfers because of lack of data. The authors conclude that charter schools have increased support for the public school system in Michigan.
Source: Education Week (subscription required), (10/18/2006)
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"Future Shock" Author Envisions Increase in Charter Schools
Futurist Alvin Toffler, famous for forecasting lifestyle and economic trends, predicts a future with more charter schools, more home schooling, and new types of schools. "We're going to see a revolution in education that will come despite pressures by vested interests -- whether it's the teachers' union, the local politicians or the parents groups that have locked the educational system into its old, industrial form and won't let it change. The result is, we have a system designed to prepare young people for industrial age jobs." His new book, "Revolutionary Wealth," co-authored with his wife Heidi, focuses on the move from an industrial, manufacturing-based economy to a knowledge-based one that will significantly alter education, family life and work environments.
Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, (10/18/2006)
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Charter Schools to Launch in South Korea
Beginning next spring, South Korea's Education Ministry will introduce a new public school system that will run with government funds but independently from many government regulations. Four high schools have been chosen to pilot the "open autonomous" educational system. Officials will choose another pool of schools at a later date that will adopt the system in 2008. Private organizations will be allowed to run the schools following completion of the pilot in 2010. The ministry expects that chartering will offer schools an opportunity to independently operate and tailor programs to the community's needs and create something entirely new.
Source: The Korea Herald, (10/17/2006)
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