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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National Charter Schools Week to Be Celebrated This Week
Beginning today, charter advocates, parents, teachers and students from across the country will celebrate the role high-performing charter schools play in opening doors to opportunities for families. With the theme of "Closing the Gap," the 8th annual National Charter Schools Week will highlight how charter schools are making meaningful gains for disadvantaged children. In honor of the celebration, President George W. Bush made a proclamation, saying "Charter schools are getting results and helping guide children across the country on the path to a better life…we thank educational entrepreneurs for supporting charter schools, and we honor all those involved in charter schools for helping their students reach high expectations." To help make the week a success, the Alliance is offering a toolkit, which includes suggested engagement activities, templates, and talking points.
Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, (04/30/2007)
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National Charter Schools Conference Program Now Online During National Charter Schools Conference
The 124 sessions to be presented at the 2007 National Charter Schools Conference are available for viewing online at the conference website. Conference strands include: Charter School Design; Instruction and Leadership; Charter School Funding, Facilities and Finance; Performance and Accountability; Advocacy and Messaging; Policy Environment; Governance and Operations; and State of the Movement. Keynote speakers include US Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, Newsweek Magazine Editor Jon Meacham, and Kevin Johnson Founder of St. HOPE Public Schools. Register today to join 3,000 colleagues in Albuquerque, New Mexico April 24th–27th to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the charter school movement. For questions, call 206-463-3344 or e-mail nationalconference@publiccharters.org.
Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, (03/01/2007)
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Alliance President Calls for Cap-free Chartering Wherever Students Lack Suitable Public Schools
As education experts and policymakers discuss strategies for revamping the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), National Alliance for Public Charter Schools President Nelson Smith wrote in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed that Congress should permit cap-free chartering wherever students lack suitable public schools. He calls for re-opening persistently failing schools as charters with a proven academic model, new team, and clear accountability for performance. But to work, he writes, these "charters must have independent governance with full autonomy over budgets, personnel and working conditions. That independence must be spelled out in the federal law, or else we risk creating a raft of so-called 'charters' still tethered to the same central offices that let students down in the first place." Smith recommends that policymakers use NCLB to create "real change by ratcheting up its support of public charter schools."
Source: Wall Street Journal, (02/26/2007)
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Charter School Enrollment Grows in Pennsylvania
Since Pennsylvania began to allow charters in 1997, 144 charter schools have opened across the state. Currently, 60,000 of the state's 1.82 million students, or about 3.2 percent, are enrolled in charter schools. And another 26,000 children are on waiting lists to attend one. "Like anything, there isn't 100 percent satisfaction with charter schools," said Timothy Daniels, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Charter Schools. "But the fact that they have been growing at a rate of 10 percent a year for the past decade is a pretty good sign that people want them and like them." "It shows that if given a choice, many parents will opt out of the one-size-fits-all education system that we have in most public school districts," he said.
Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, (02/25/2007)
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New Utah Bills Seeks to Create State Charter School Finance Authority
A new bill, sponsored by Utah Rep. Stephen Urquhart, seeks to create a State Charter School Finance Authority and relieve cities and counties from lending their bonding power to charter schools. The Authority also would provide charter schools an avenue to secure better financing terms. "I came to the conclusion that if we had a better way for these schools to obtain financing, then it might improve the situation," said Urquhart. "This is just a win-win." Some county commissioners are balking at the idea. "I would like to see the process a little more closely linked with the public school districts," said Larry Ellertson. He suggests charter schools bond on their own - but through districts.
Source: Salt Lake Tribune, (02/24/2007)
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Indianapolis District Proposes Replicating Charter Schools' Academic Schedule
Last week, Indianapolis Superintendent Eugene White unveiled a proposal calling for all of the district's middle-schoolers to attend classes for six weeks more than other students and move to a year-round schedule. Several charter schools in the city are already on that schedule. "I get to cover more material, and I get to go as deep as possible," said Elaine Taylor, a veteran IPS teacher who now embraces the longer year at Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School, a charter school. She says the extended calendar gives her freedom and time to work with students who need extra help. "I think remediation is good no matter what the case," she said. "Relearning is good for us all to help us stay on track." Supt. White said he is aware of the hardships an extended school year might cause but said he believes it is worth it. He plans to hold many community meetings before the year-round calendar would begin.
Source: Indianapolis Star, (02/24/2007)
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Idaho Senate Hears Testimony Regarding High Fees Charged to Charter Students Seeking Extracurriculars
Following charges that public charter school students are being charged exorbitant fees to participate in extracurricular activities, the Idaho Senate Education Committee heard testimony last week on a bill that would allow traditional public schools to charge charter schools no more than $150 per year for each student who participates in extracurricular activities at a traditional school. The $150 fee is meant to pay for the impact that students would have on facilities like gyms and fields. The bill also forbids traditional public schools from using a charter student's status to determine eligibility for activities. All students would be given an equal opportunity to participate or demonstrate their skill. Sen. Russ Fulcher, who is sponsoring the bill, said his measure was an attempt at compromise and that the $150 fee limit was arrived at through talks with internal budget analysts. The committee will resume discussion of the bill this week.
Source: Idaho Press Tribune, (02/22/2007)
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Bill Allowing University-Authorized Charters Stalls in Virginia's General Assembly
A new bill in Virginia proposes allowing universities to authorize charters. The bill would allow universities to establish charter or "laboratory" schools that would bypass local school boards. Across the country, university-run charter schools have an excellent track record, says Robin Lake of the National Charter School Research Project. Often, the decision to allow charter schools to bypass local school boards is the only way to lure that innovation, Lake says. "It's more common for school districts to see charter schools as competitors." In Virginia, school boards must approve charter schools, which officials say is the sticking point that has held up the current legislation. "Let's say that legislation passed: Under the local school board system, you're still going to have to deal with this issue," says charter supporter William Bosher, a professor at the VCU School of Education. "[The bill] is stalled over the constitutional issues."
Source: Richmond's Style Weekly, (02/21/2007)
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Green Dot Founder Changing Schools in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified School District is home to more charters than any other district in the nation, and Steve Barr, founder of Green Dot Public Schools, is working hard to increase the number and significantly improve public education in the city. Last week, the Los Angeles Times profiled Barr's journey in creating successful charter high schools and his latest expansion plan. Barr has increasing support for his reform ideas. Philanthropist Eli Broad recently gave Green Dot $10.5 million to help the $34-million-a-year operation triple in size. About 1,000 parents have joined the Los Angeles Parents Union, a parents' organization he created to push his reform ideas, and Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa is using Green Dot ideas as part of his overhaul plan. Villaraigosa said Steve Barr is "absolutely passionate about transforming our schools, and has put in the blood, sweat and tears to make it happen."
Source: LA Times (free registration required), (02/20/2007)
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Newark Mayor Cory Booker Seeks More Charters, Vouchers, and Merit Pay
The mayor of Newark, Cory Booker, wants voters to give him mayoral control of the city's schools. Merit pay, vouchers, more charter schools and more empowerment for principals are also on his wish list. He is working on encouraging successful charter schools such as the Knowledge is Power Program and Uncommon Schools to establish a concentration of school franchises in the city. New Jersey's education department has run the Newark school district since 1995, when it determined that Newark was both unable and unwilling to enact reforms. If Booker cannot convince voters to let him appoint school board members or abolish the school board in favor of mayoral control, he said he is determined to find other ways to reform the school system. "I feel like I have my back against the wall," he said. "If I can't get de jure control of the schools, I'm going to find a way to get de facto influence over them."
Source: New York Sun, (02/20/2007)
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More Black Families in Dayton Seeking Charters and Other Schooling Options
Dayton, Ohio continues to be one of the nation's top charter school markets, with 33 charter schools enrolling nearly 7,000 students. More and more black families are seeking different schooling options for their children. "These folks are simply doing what is in their best interests," said Robert Moore, interim dean of education at Central State University. "A lot of this boils down to what that person desires in their education and life." For a population that traditionally has had few education choices, black families now are taking advantage of increasing options in education. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, nearly 77 percent of black students attended their assigned public school in 1993. Ten years later, that figure dropped to 68 percent.
Source: Dayton Daily News, (02/19/2007)
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