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.
Presidential Candidate Bill Richardson Includes Charters in His Education Platform
Last week in an address to the New Hampshire NEA, Presidential candidate Bill Richardson announced his education platform, "Making America's Schools Work". In addition to "getting rid of" NCLB and creating a national service program to help students pay for college, Richardson wants to expand the number of public charter schools.
Source: Sea Coast Online, (08/12/2007)
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22 Charter Schools Seek Approval in New Jersey
The New Jersey Department of Education received 22 charter school applications this year. "Now begins a rigorous review process through which we will determine whether the applicants can proceed with start-up activities for their schools," said Education Commissioner Lucille Davy. Those that receive approval will join the state's 53 existing charter schools. The applications reflect "a need in many cities for an educational choice," said Ron Shapella, program director for the New Jersey Charter Public School Association. "The demand is reflected in the waiting lists of the existing charter schools. The best students in our charter schools can hold their own against the high-achieving students anywhere in the state. We have the test scores to prove it."
Source: North Jersey News, (08/10/2007)
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Arizona Judge Initially Rules Against Charter Schools in State Curriculum Mandate Suit
A county superior court judge has refused to block the Arizona Board of Education from requiring charter schools to teach certain social studies courses in specific grades. The schools in the suit are high performing and wanted to teach history topics on a different schedule. The ruling does not resolve the dispute. Still, charters will have to rearrange their history classes in Grades 7-8 to adhere to the state-mandated schedule until there can be a full trial on the issue later this year. "I think the Education Department has temporarily dodged a bullet," said attorney Clint Bolick. "The schools did not receive the injunction (based) on some procedural issues, and we definitely plan to fight this regulatory incursion."
Source: The Arizona Republic, (08/08/2007)
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Former D.C. Charter Schools Chief Admits Fraud
As the chief of charter school oversight for the D.C. Board of Education, Brenda Belton arranged over $600,000 in illegal school payments and kickbacks to herself and her friends. Belton told a federal judge that she steered an estimated $446,000 in seven no-bid contracts to friends, and a cousin and stole $203,000 by paying school funds to a fictitious company she controlled. "Not only is this conduct outrageous, it takes money away from kids in our schools," said U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor. "But it also feeds the cynicism about the school system. We stand with the city officials in trying to preserve the integrity of the system." When sentenced, Belton will face a likely term of three years in prison for theft and tax evasion. She has agreed to pay restitution of $383,000, most of which will go back to the D.C. school system.
Source: Washington Post (free registration required), (08/08/2007)
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San Francisco Examiner Profiles Philanthropist and Charter Advocate Don Fisher
Billionaire Donald Fisher, the founder of the Gap, is determined to help reform public education, according to a profile in a recent issue of the San Francisco Examiner. Fisher gave $25 million to help launch the nationwide network of KIPP charter schools, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund Edvoice, a group that lobbies to improve California's public schools. Fisher also serves as Governor Schwarzenegger's representative on the California Board of Education. His efforts to make the public school system more efficient and effective rankles some, but he and his wife are known for giving generously, selectively, and expecting results.
Source: San Francisco Examiner, (08/07/2007)
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Some Charter School Leaders Say Centralization is Key to Growth
Some charter school leaders say the central office model, called a charter management organization (CMO), is the key to the charter school movement's expansion. "It's the wave of the future," said Eva Moskowitz, the leader of a CMO called the Success Charter Network. She said dividing her 15 staff members into five departments -- human resources, finance and operations, external affairs, instructional development, and data and accountability -- and providing oversight of behind-the-scenes details is the only way her brand, now comprising a single Harlem elementary school, will reach its goal of a network of 40. Steve Mancini, of the KIPP Foundation, said the CMO model is a perfect compromise. Local leaders can make "on the ground" decisions, while enjoying the benefits of a national network.
Source: New York Sun, (08/06/2007)
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