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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New Leaders for New Schools Expands in New Orleans
New Leaders for New Schools, a national nonprofit that trains and supplies schools with high-quality leaders, has opened a New Orleans office to train leaders for the city's charter schools. While candidate standards vary somewhat from city to city, fewer than seven percent of more than 3,000 applicants nationwide meet the program's strict requirements. The group's goal is for 40 program alumni to earn leadership positions in New Orleans schools over the next three years. Despite the immediate need for school leaders in the city, candidate requirements have not been relaxed, said Tyra Newell, managing director for the New Orleans office. "The need for great leaders is just as critical, if not more, for the students of New Orleans. We will uphold our rigorous (screening) process," she said.
Source: New Orleans City Business, (04/09/2007)
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Ohio Governor Proposes Moratorium on Charter Schools
Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has proposed that all new charter schools be put on hold. "I know this has been viewed on the part of some as an attack upon all charter schools, and that's certainly not my intention," Strickland said. "My intention is to stop the proliferation of charter schools that we read about frequently as having failed students and exhibited a lack of fiscal responsibility." The moratorium would halt schools already in the pipeline, such as the highly-anticipated KIPP schools expected to begin operating in the fall of 2008. It also would stop school districts that want to open their own charter schools. A moratorium is overkill and the system isn't as flawed as Strickland suggests, said Terry Ryan of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, a charter sponsor. "This is an innovative thing. You're saying to people, 'Take a shot at opening up a school and making it successful.' The theory holds some will fail."
Source: The Columbus Dispatch, (04/09/2007)
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Green Dot Moves Forward Despite Rejection from L.A. Board
The L.A. Board of Education recently rejected the requests for 12 new licenses for Green Dot charter schools, but Steve Barr, Green Dot's leader, is undeterred. The district's own lawyers warned the board that the rejections would almost certainly prove illegal. It may take weeks or months for the county Office of Education or state Board of Education to overturn the decision or for the state attorney general's office to intervene. Barr says Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown asked him to forward the board's denial and legal opinions. Brown said he did not want to comment on the merits of the case yet, but said he finds it unacceptable that school districts seem to be rejecting charters for political reasons. Barr said, while he is waiting for action on the appeal, he will circumvent the board by opening two schools with charter licenses that his organization got but never used and will hold classes in offices and motels if facility permits are slow in coming.
Source: LA Times (free registration required), (04/09/2007)
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Charter Developers Excited about New Legislation in New York
New York charter school supporters and technical assistance providers say they have been deluged with inquiries from potential charter operators in response to new legislation that passed last week which raised the cap from 100 to 200 charter schools. "There's been a flurry of activity this week," said Jennifer Sneed, senior vice president at the State University of New York Charter Schools Institute, which recommends applications to the SUNY Board of Trustees for authorization. "When the trustees approved their final charter in January 2006, people kept working on things and I would periodically get a call, but it was quiet until this week," she said. "It's very clear that raising the cap spurred people into taking action."
Source: New York Post, (04/09/2007)
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Ohio Teachers Union Files Another Suit Over Charter Schools
The Ohio Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, has sued the state over its charter school program, claiming it lacks proper oversight and takes money from traditional public schools. The lawsuit, filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court on March 23, was brought on behalf of Dayton public schools and the union's Dayton unit. The Ohio Department of Education, the State Board of Education and Susan Zelman, the state superintendent of public instruction, are listed as defendants. The suit alleges that the state has not properly monitored the performance of charter schools to comply with state law, and that, since 2000, Dayton has lost $189 million in state funding due to charters. The latest suit comes on the heels of a Ohio Supreme Court decision in October that ruled charter schools were constitutional.
Source: Education Week (subscription required), (04/04/2007)
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D.C. Charter to Join District
Hospitality High, a charter school in downtown Washington, D.C. that trains students for hotel and restaurant careers, will relinquish its charter and join the D.C. public school system this summer in order to improve its facilities. The school will move into part of Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School and begin operating within the traditional school system in August. D.C. Public Charter School Board Chairman Thomas Nida said that the school's decision to give up its autonomy as a charter school to get space in a school building was understandable but "unfortunate." The charter board will assist the school in its transition.
Source: Washington Post (free registration required), (04/03/2007)
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Four Individuals to be Inducted into the Charter School Hall of Fame During National Charter Schools Conference
In addition to the more than 120 breakout sessions, as well as keynotes, networking opportunities, and table talk sessions, the Alliance has established the National Charter Schools Hall of Fame for this year's National Charter Schools Conference (April 24-27 in Albuquerque, NM). Come celebrate the accomplishments of four individuals who have made a lasting impact on the charter school movement. These inaugural inductees will be recognized for their contributions in the following areas: pioneering efforts in the development/growth of charter schools; commitment and contributions to charter schools and education; innovative ideas and successful implementation of those ideas; and inspiration to others in the charter school movement. Visit the conference web site for the program agenda, lodging, and travel information.
Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, (03/26/2007)
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