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
|
|
 |
|
|
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)
-----------------------------------------------
Fewer Charter Schools in Wisconsin Receive Federal Aid
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has only approved 10 of 50 applications for federal funds this year. The 20 percent approval rate contrasts to an 83 percent acceptance rate last year. The state scrutiny was triggered by a reminder from the U.S. Department of Education about requirements for the grants. In previous years, many of the charter schools that received grants did not fully meet the federal definition of a charter school, and many of those failed to have an independent governing board. "There has been a concern in a few states about the independence of the schools that have been created and are receiving funding," said Todd Ziebarth, a policy analyst with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. "My sense is that the (education) department, their outreach to the Wisconsin Department (of Public Instruction) is sort of probably the biggest step that they've taken to date."
Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (free registration required), (10/28/2007)
-----------------------------------------------
Church Sues for Right to Operate Charter School in Harlem
The Reverend Michel Faulkner of New Horizon Church Ministry is suing the state of New York in an attempt to overturn a law that bars religious organizations from running charter schools. Church leaders could apply to open a charter school through a nonprofit organization separate from the Harlem church, but they say they are not interested in that strategy. "I just feel like it's not fair," Faulkner said. "We, as a religious institution, can certainly uphold the values of separation between church and state." The suit challenges a portion of the New York Charter Schools Act of 1998, which says a charter will not be issued to a school that is run by a religious organization or a school where religious doctrine is taught. Church leaders are asking the federal court to deem unconstitutional the Blaine Amendment, a portion of the state constitution that bars from public dollars for education purposes from going to religious institutions.
Source: New York Sun, (10/26/2007)
Also See
-----------------------------------------------
Prosecutors Call for Stiff Sentence for DC Official Who Stole Charter Funds
Last week, prosecutors argued that former D.C. charter schools executive Brenda Belton jeopardized the future of 3,500 District public school students by illegally steering and stealing $800,000 in charter funds. Belton rarely came to work and steered contracts to friends who did minimal reviews of the charter schools' performance. Records show that most students were not achieving under her watch. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Lynch listed all the test scores for the Board of Education authorized charter schools from 2003 to 2006 and called them "heartbreaking for anyone who cares about children." Deputy Mayor Victor Reinoso made a statement on behalf of the city, urging a stiff sentence. In a letter to the court, he wrote that students could have had a tangibly improved classroom experience if Belton had not siphoned off public funds. The investigation of Belton encouraged the board to give up its authority to sponsor charter schools, leaving approval and oversight to the independent D.C. Public Charter School Board.
Source: Washington Post (free registration required), (10/25/2007)
-----------------------------------------------
Charter Application Approval Put on Hold in Philadelphia
The approval of applications to open 11 new charter schools in Philadelphia will have to wait until May. School Reform Commission members and interim chief executive officer Tom Brady stressed that they supported charter school growth, but said that more work needed to be done to determine how to pay for them. "I will not be a party to creating a five-year budget plan that is not balanced. . . . I've been down that road before," commission member James Gallagher said, affirming the need to defer the charter votes.
Source: Philadelphia Daily News, (10/25/2007)
-----------------------------------------------
Indianapolis District Feels Impact of Charter Schools' Popularity
Leaders of the Indianapolis public schools district have called for four elementary and four middle schools to close next year. Superintendent Eugene White has cited the district's declining enrollment as the major reason for the school closings. "Because we're in a situation where we're getting less money from the state, because we're losing students, we have to make every dollar count," he said. The district has had roughly 1,000 fewer students in each of the past several years as families have left for charter schools and nearby districts. It currently faces a $20 million budget shortfall.
Source: Indianapolis Star, (10/25/2007)
Also See
-----------------------------------------------
Thank you for your interest:
Please be aware that publishers sometimes change URLs or no longer provide access to articles. If this occurs, access the publishing newspaper and search for the subject matter.
Submit news items on the Web:
You can view archives or submit news items at: http://www.uscharterschools.org/pub/uscs_docs/n/index.htm.
To unsubscribe or subscribe:
If you would like to be removed from this list, send an email to: cs.unsubscribe.a.16@email.edgateway.net or manage your subscription via your user profile at USCharterSchools.org. We respect your right to privacy. Please read our privacy policy. To subscribe or contribute news items you will need to register with USCharterSchools.org.
Did you receive this issue as a forward from a friend? Get your own subscription to the Charter Schools News Connection here.
Charter Schools News Connection is sponsored by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and distributed by WestEd.
|
|
