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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Success of Charter Schools Prompts Houston District to Consider Changes
With enrollment declining in the Houston Independent School District and the expansion of local charter schools, the district is questioning if it should incorporate similar programs like an extended school day, parent contracts, and a college prep focus. HISD officials are discussing the idea of requiring a longer day at some campuses, particularly middle schools, said Karen Soehnge, the district's chief academic officer. Some schools currently hold after-school and Saturday tutorials, but do not make them mandatory. "We do recognize that there's value in additional time on task as long as that additional time is meaningful," she said. A major stumbling block to extending the academic calendar is finding enough money to pay employees for the extra hours, Soehnge said. HISD school board President Manuel Rodriguez Jr. said he is unsure whether the majority of parents would support the idea, even if the funds were available.
Source: Houston Chronicle, (04/29/2007)
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New Jersey Charter Schools Feel Short-Changed
Charter advocates in New Jersey say that the state's charters are not receiving the equal funding to which they are entitled and are encouraging policymakers to focus on charters in upcoming state budget discussions. They say schools do not receive the full 90 percent of instructional aid from the sending district that is supposed to accompany each charter student. Once a sending district deducts for capital improvements and other categories, that number declines from the intended 90 percent to between 65 and 48 percent, said Jessani Gordon, executive director of the NJ Charter Public Schools Association. "It is possible that the deductions for some students from the total cost per pupil could be as much as 40 percent, or more, depending on the areas of concentration of expenses for a particular district," said Richard Vespucci, state Education Department spokesman. Vespucci said the legislature would like a new school funding formula in place before the 2008-09 budget is finalized.
Source: Asbury-Park Press, (04/29/2007)
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Pennsylvania District Caps Charter School Enrollment
Despite the strong objections of charter school parents and charter advocates and the threat of litigation, the three-member board that runs the troubled Chester Upland School District in Pennsylvania voted last week to cap charter school enrollment at its current level (2,573 students). Charter opponents claim the popular charter schools are draining the finances of the troubled district. The resolution that passed charges that the district spent $70 million on charter schools over the last five years. During an April 18 hearing, Timothy Daniels, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Charter Schools, supplied the board with charts indicating the district actually saves about $8 million on the students currently enrolled in all district charters. The board has not publicly refuted those figures.
Source: Delco Times, (04/27/2007)
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Proposed Legislation in Nevada Seeks to Increase Regulations on Charter Schools
The Nevada Senate Human Resources and Education Committee voted unanimously last week to pass AB334 which tightens regulations regarding charter schools. The bill seeks to establish educational requirements for charter school administrators and limit their salaries to the salary of the highest-paid administrator in the resident district, excluding superintendents. The bill also would require charter schools to appoint an administrator to take charge of student and employee records in the event of a school closing. The bill would allow district, private, or home-schooled students who want to take classes at a charter school to do so and permit the charter school to collect fees for those services.
Source: Nevada Appeal, (04/26/2007)
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Urban Ohio School Superintendents Rally Behind Governor's Proposed Ban on For-Profit Charter Schools
The Ohio 8, a coalition of superintendents and teachers union presidents from the state's largest districts, has been busy lobbying legislators to support Gov. Ted Strickland's proposal to ban for-profit charter schools. "We strongly support his position that for-profit entities not operate in our state," said Cleveland schools CEO Eugene Sanders and co-chair of the Ohio 8. "We think those funds can more appropriately be used in a public school context." In addition to banning for-profits, Strickland has proposed a moratorium on all new charter schools. House Speaker Jon Husted has indicated that the Republican leadership will support the Democratic governor's budget numbers for public school funding, but remains in sharp disagreement over the proposed charter school legislation.
Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer, (04/26/2007)
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Charter Schools Have Altered Educational Landscape in Washington, D.C.
Demand for D.C.'s charter schools continues to be high, with enrollment rising an average of 13 percent annually since 2001. Charter schools currently account for a quarter of the district's public school enrollment, and if the trend continues, more students will attend charter schools than district schools by 2014. The Washington Post reports that in a shifting educational landscape, at least a dozen charter schools that opened a few years ago in church basements or shops now are pursuing state-of-the-art facilities, a sign that the charter movement is maturing. Charters, however, still struggle for affordable space. Congress and the D.C. Council are pressing the Board of Education to close under-enrolled schools and lease them to charters. "Charter schools were considered something you laughed at--no one presumed they would have any impact at all," said Donald Hense of Friendship Public Charter School. "Now we are a force to be reckoned with."
Source: Washington Post (free registration required), (04/25/2007)
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Charter School Information Sent to Thousands in Twin City Area
About 40,000 families with school-age children in Minneapolis and St. Paul will receive booklets in the mail with information about area charter schools. The booklets are part of a new collaboration of 54 metro charter schools and the Center for School Change and are intended to inform families of the numerous choices they have.
Source: Star Tribune, (04/25/2007)
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Harlem Village Academy Receives Attention from CBS News and President Bush
Last week, a lead CBS News story took viewers to Harlem Village Academy, a charter located in one of New York City's toughest neighborhoods, and one that achieved one of New York state's highest math scores. At the Academy, students attend school 10 hours a day, five days a week, and sometimes on Saturdays. The school also received attention last week from President Bush who toured the campus with NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and Rep. Charles Rangel. Bush said schools everywhere should follow the example of the Harlem Village Academy by working to raise test scores. "What I like are schools that focus on results and then adjust the process," he said. "I don't see how you can solve problems unless you can measure problems." This year, 96 percent of seventh-graders passed the state math exam. Math scores are in the top six percent of intermediate schools in the country and reading scores are in the top 23 percent.
Source: CBS News, (04/24/2007)
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Charter District Legislation Passes in Georgia
Just before the end of this legislative session, Georgia lawmakers passed Senate Bill 39 (46-4) which allows entire school districts, not just schools, to apply for charter status. Under the bill, the state will disburse planning and implementation grants for up to five charter school systems. A charter advisory committee will make recommendations to the state Board of Education on which applications to support. Currently, there are 60 charter schools in Georgia. Another charter bill, which would have allowed counties, cities, universities, and colleges to become charter authorizers, died during the session, but a committee plans to study the bill over the summer. "They'll be looking at the whole charter picture, what needs to be changed, what needs to be tweaked, and come back with a recommendation next year," said Rep. Brooks Coleman, chairman of the House Education Committee.
Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution, (04/21/2007)
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