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 Conference (New Orleans, June 22-25)
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools will host the 2008 National Charter Schools Conference from June 22-25 in New Orleans, LA. "Still We Rise: Achieving Academic Excellence at Scale" is the conference theme, reflecting the growth of quality public charter schools across America. The theme has special resonance in New Orleans, which boasts the nation's largest percentage of public charter school enrollment. Register for the conference or apply to sponsor/exhibit at http://www.nationalcharterconference.org. The conference is the largest gathering of charter school operators and proponents in the nation. Geoffrey Canada, President and Chief Executive Officer for the Harlem Children's Zone, will offer the keynote speech. Attendees will learn and share best practices, discuss national and state policy issues, have the opportunity to volunteer at local charter schools, and enjoy special events featuring New Orleans traditions, food and music! Questions? Call 206-463-3344 or e-mail nationalconference@publiccharters.org.
Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, (03/01/2008)
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California Governor Signs New Charter Legislation into Law
Last week, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 20 into law. It includes $18 million in facilities assistance for charter schools that target high-poverty students. The bill preserves the Charter School Facility Grant Program which provides leasing assistance to charter schools serving areas of the state with at least 70 percent high-poverty students. Schwarzenegger said the bill will provide an ongoing source of funding that will eliminate some uncertainty that many charter schools face. "Access to adequate and affordable facilities continues to be one of the greatest challenges facing charter school operators. This bill will give thousands of public school kids enrolled in charter schools the stability of knowing their school will have a long-term home."
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune, (09/22/2007)
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Local Groups Seeking to Open Charter Schools in Indianapolis
Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson's staff is reviewing four proposals for new charter schools. In past years, many applications came from national groups that had opened charter schools across the country, but this year all of the applications are from local grassroots organizations. The mayor's charter office is reviewing the applications and the charter board will meet Oct. 9 to decide which of the four will be invited to submit more detailed applications. The board will make final recommendations to the mayor Dec. 11. Peterson is the only mayor in the country with the power to approve charter schools, and his system of oversight has drawn national attention and praise. The mayor's charter office oversees 16 charter schools operating in the city and plans to open another charter school next year that already has been approved.
Source: Indianapolis Star, (09/22/2007)
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Ohio Attorney General Files Third Lawsuit Against a Charter School
Citing a continued failure to educate children, Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann asked the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court to declare the Moraine Community School a "failed charitable trust," thus forcing its governing body to cease operating the charter school. "Hopefully, as a result of this suit and the others we've filed and may file in the future, that money will now be redirected to traditional public schools and community schools that will use it to prepare Ohio's children to compete and succeed in the 21st Century," Dann said. Bill Sims of the Ohio Alliance of Public Charter Schools said Dann's lawsuits have served to unsettle families. "You can only imagine that the parents and the kids of the schools that he's identified have some real concerns right now about what’s going to happen to them between now and the end of the school year," Sims said. "It creates a sense of instability that's not good for the entire charter school movement."
Source: Canton Repository, (09/21/2007)
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Supporters Seek Charter School Legislation in South Dakota
South Dakota is one of only 10 states without legislation permitting charter schools. A group of Rapid City Native Americans who are interested in starting a charter school have asked Sen. Tom Katus to sponsor charter school legislation. Members of the group believe the current education system is not working for Native American students. Daphne Richards-Cook, a member of the Rapid City School Board, met with the group and said she is concerned about the drop-out rate and disparity in the achievement gap separating Native American and other students. The school district's graduation rate for Native American students was just 37 percent last year. The district is making progress in addressing these issues, but it is taking only "baby steps," said Richards-Cook. The draft legislation that Katus is considering would require teachers to meet all state certification standards, with charters granted by the local school board or through the state Board of Education.
Source: The Rapid City Journal, (09/19/2007)
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Washington Post Reporter Jay Mathews Suggests Ways to "Boost" Charter Schools
Loosely basing his ideas on a new charter school report from Education Sector, Washington Post reporter Jay Mathews suggests several ways to bolster the charter school movement. His suggestions include the promotion of multiple authorizers, arguing that state school boards, universities and independent bodies like the D.C. Public Charter School Board do a better job of authorizing charters than local school boards. He also suggests judging charters on individual student gains and abolishing legislation that limits the number and autonomy of charters.
Source: Washington Post (free registration required), (09/18/2007)
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Closed Parish Churches Find New Life as Charter Schools
Throughout the country, church buildings that outlive their primary duty as local houses of worship are being converted for other functions, including charter schools. Urban areas in particular have seen a loss of church members and consolidation of congregations, making some buildings obsolete. While re-use efforts are being supported in many communities, some dioceses are pushing back against leasing or selling unused school buildings to charter schools, arguing that charters could siphon potential students from Catholic schools.
Source: Buffalo News, (09/17/2007)
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National Resource Center on Charter School Finance and Governance Launches Website
The National Resource Center on Charter School Finance and Governance has launched a new website designed to disseminate information and technical assistance to charter leaders. Hoping to improve charter school finance and governance, highlights of the site include a resource clearinghouse searchable by finance or governance topic; an expanding compendium of promising practices in charter school finance and governance; and an open discussion board for information exchange among leaders in the field. Other resources, including guides to state policy in charter school finance and governance and a catalog of federal funding sources for charter school operations and facilities, are forthcoming. The project is a collaboration between the Center on Educational Governance, the Finance Project, and WestEd.
Source: National Resource Center on Charter School Finance and Governance, (09/16/2007)
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