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.
Facilities Fund Helps Charters Grow in Illinois
The Illinois Facilities Fund (IFF), a nonprofit finance organization, is planning to grow an $8 million federal grant into as much as $100 million in Wall Street investments for charter school buildings. The federal grant enables the fund to help charter schools expand facilities with low-interest, tax-exempt bonds issued through the Finance Authority. The credit enhancer, used to make the loans less risky for outside investors, enables charters to borrow large amounts of money at lower interest rates. Credit enhancement has so far helped attract $18.7 million in loans for Noble Network and UNO Charter School Network. A loan is pending for ASPIRA for $11 million. "It's a great deal for Chicago and its citizens," said Ron Manderschied of the Noble Network of Charter Schools, which rehabilitated two schools with bonds backed by the IFF program. "These buildings are being renovated into quality spaces for education for kids who truly need options."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times, (11/19/2006)
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Native Hawaiian Students Make Greater Gains in Charter Schools
A new study, which compares reading and math scores of Hawaiian students in traditional public schools and Hawaiian-focused charter schools, finds that charter school students made the greatest gains in achievement. Officials with the Department of Education say the results may just reflect the benefits of having a more intimate teaching environment. Ku Kahakalau, principal of Kanu o Aina Hawaiian Charter School, says the concept of a Hawaiian-tailored education focused on culture and a gentler teaching method is what works well for Hawaiian students.
Source: KPUA Hawaii News, (11/16/2006)
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California Charter Schools Association Launches "My School" PR Campaign
Last week, the California Charter Schools Association launched the My School campaign, an awareness effort designed to reach over 300,000 new parents. The campaign consists of a website that includes a map of the more than 600 charter schools in the state, allowing parents to find a charter school near them. The campaign also will help parents, teachers and community groups to start new charter schools and support existing ones. "A lot of people in the Temecula Valley either have not heard of our school or think we are a private school," said Karen Henson of Temecula Preparatory School. "(The association) wants people to see the diversity that there is in the charter school movement, and give parents the opportunity to find a school in their area that shares their philosophies." The campaign is part of a larger effort by the Association to expand access to charter schools. One strategy will provide $8 million to community groups to open charters in Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland, Sacramento and Fresno.
Source: North County Times, (11/16/2006)
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Gates Foundation Gives $6.9M to CA Charter School Organization
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation continues to invest in charter schooling. In its latest charter support effort, the foundation has given the San Francisco-based Envision Schools $6.9 million to open seven more Envision high schools around the state. The charter management organization looks to replicate its model of small, academically rigorous high schools in regional clusters that pool office and support services. The grant is "a recognition of our strong record of academic success," said Daniel McLaughlin, president and CEO of Envision Schools. For example, in 2005, students at Envision's City Arts & Technology High posted an academic performance index gain of 90 points, eight times the average gain in the state. This latest grant follows a $3.8 million Gates Foundation grant made in 2003 to establish Envision's first six charter schools in the Bay Area.
Source: San Francisco Business Times, (11/15/2006)
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Arizona Schools Chief Seeks to Equalize Charter School Funding
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has announced that he will ask the state legislature for a $78.5 million increase for charter schools next year. A study Horne commisioned found that charter schools get approximately $868 less per pupil on average than typical traditional school district schools. "The charter school experiment has proceeded to the point where the Arizona Department of Education has documented marked excellence on the part of a number of these schools," Horne said. "This excellence should be rewarded by equalized funding." House Education K-12 Committee chairman Rep. Mark Anderson has agreed to sponsor legislation to seek the additional funding.
Source: Arizona Capitol Times, (11/14/2006)
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Miami-Dade School Audit Raises Question about Charter Management Company
A draft audit report from Miami-Dade school auditors has concluded that the founders of Academica Charter School Management and the board of directors of Mater Academy Charter Schools have engaged in "questionable business practices." The investigation into Academica and Mater Academy began in January when a letter was sent to Gov. Jeb Bush, Education Commissioner John Winn and Superintendent Crew alleging fraud and cronyism. The letter was said to be signed by 10 Mater teachers who were ''fed up with the corruption and scheming'' by company officials, but the people whose names appear on the letter have denied they were the whistle-blowers. Founder Fernando Zulueta says the report is based on entirely false premises. "They make a number of misleading statements and outright lies in this document,'' he said. Zulueta also blamed the school district, saying it is tarnishing the reputation of schools that are rated A's and B's by the state.
Source: Miami Herald (free registration required), (11/14/2006)
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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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