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.
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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New Study Shows Urban Charter Schools are Safer than Traditional Public Schools
A new report from the National Charter School Research Project (NCSRP) finds that urban public charter schools appear to be safer and experience fewer discipline problems than their traditional public school counterparts. Analyzing data from the 2003-04 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), the author found that charter schools consistently reported significantly fewer issues with threats to persons or property and fewer behavioral problems than traditional public schools. Though the research does not address why the disparity exists, Robin Lake, Director of the NCSRP, said, "Many families choose charter schools in part to escape what they perceive as dangerous inner-city schools...Based on our analysis, there is good reason to look more carefully at what charter schools may be doing to create a safer environment for urban students."
Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, (03/12/2007)
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South Carolina Policymakers Propose Allowing Faculty to Serve on Conversion Charter Boards
South Carolina only has two conversion charter schools, both in Charleston County. Last year, lawmakers changed state law to prohibit charter school boards from having members who were paid employees of those schools. In response, local lawmakers in Charleston have proposed an amendment to state law that would allow employees of conversions that were chartered before 2006 to also serve on the school's governing board. Bob Bohnstengel, principal of James Island Charter High, had requested the amendment because the faculty, school community and county school board approved his school's charter which called for faculty members to serve on the school's board. The charter school is governed by a triangle of parents, teachers and community members, and "it's beautiful," he said. "It's one that works for us." The bill got a second reading in the House last week and it could get a final vote before moving to the Senate as early as this week.
Source: Charleston Post and Courier (registration required), (03/11/2007)
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New Federal Legislation Proposed to Attract Teachers to New Orleans
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced legislation that would give a $5,000 bonus to teachers who commit to teach for three or more years in New Orleans. The legislation would also provide a $500/month housing subsidy and relocation costs for those willing to teach in the city. Rep. George Miller, who serves as chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, says schools are a key part of the city's recovery. "We have kids who are returning, families who are returning, and we do not want them to lose another year of school, or to be sitting in a classroom with 40, 50, 60 other kids," he said. The need for veteran teachers is a key part of the problem, according to Professor James Meza of the University New Orleans. He runs two charter schools. KIPP's Jonathan Bertsch says good teachers are appreciated. "I think if you're a talented teacher in New Orleans right now, everybody wants you," he said.
Source: National Public Radio, (03/09/2007)
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Arkansas Charter Bill Passes House
Following a new amendment, which maintains the cap on the state's charter schools, the Arkansas House gave approval to House Bill 1504. Initially, the House rejected the measure last Monday, but approved it two days later once the amendment to keep the cap was created. Rep. Kevin Anderson says the proposal will still seek to remove a requirement that charter schools be distributed equally among the state's four congressional districts. The proposal to double the number of charter schools faced significant opposition from the Arkansas Education Association which claimed lifting the cap would negatively impact traditional public schools.
Source: Today's THV, (03/08/2007)
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Louisiana Foundation to Provide $4.2 Million to Bolster Charter Schools in New Orleans
More than 50 percent of New Orleans students attend charter schools. And now the state's largest private foundation plans to spend nearly $4.2 million to create a public charter school support network in the city to offer training, guidance and business expertise to existing charters, as well as consultation to groups wanting to start more charters. Officials with the Baptist Community Ministries made the announcement March 8 and Byron Harrell, the foundation's president, said "we think charter schools have a permanent place in public education in Orleans Parish." According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the foundation's donation is part of a growing movement where private organizations are investing in either individual charter schools or charter school associations nationwide. "Folks who are coming from that entrepreneurial background, the charter concept really resonates with them," said Todd Ziebarth of the Alliance.
Source: The Times-Picayune, (03/08/2007)
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St. Louis Mayor Wants Authority to Sponsor Charters
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay wants to sponsor charter schools and has requested that state legislators approve a change in the law to give him chartering authority. "We want to keep families in the City of St. Louis. We want to provide an environment that gives parents and kids a choice for a quality education," said Slay. In Missouri, charter schools can operate only in St. Louis and Kansas City. Currently, the St. Louis school district sponsors a charter high school but some board members oppose additional charters and criticize Slay's charter sponsorship goals. "The mayor has no experience in education," claims school board member William Purdy. "He is not equipped, as a university might be, to monitor charter schools. It doesn't make sense. The mayor has enough on his plate." The suggested local changes in charter sponsorship are part of Senate Bill 564, which is being proposed by State Senator Jeff Smith.
Source: KSDK News, (03/07/2007)
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Union Launches Major Campaign to Limit Charter Schools in New York
The New York State United Teachers, the state's largest teachers union, is actively campaigning against Governor Elliot Spitzer's proposal to raise the legal cap on charter schools to 250. The cap has been frozen at 100 for nearly ten years. Richard Iannuzzi, president of NYSUT, said the union is calling for the state to impose an enrollment limit of five percent, which would effectively bar the districts of Buffalo and Albany from adding any new charter schools. The union is taking its message directly to state legislators, with ads in newspapers and radio stations and with highway billboards on the two main arteries leading to the state Capitol. NYSUT, a major donor to lawmakers, holds significant clout in Albany and has in previous years defeated Governor Pataki's efforts to expand charter schools.
Source: New York Sun, (03/06/2007)
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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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