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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New NYC Charter School to Pay Teachers $125K
The Equity Project, a grade 5-8 charter school based on a professional-practice model, is set to open in 2009 with starting salaries of $125,000 for teachers. The school's founder and first principal, Zeke Vanderhoek, believes that teacher quality is the most important factor in achieving educational equity for low-income students and that high salaries will attract and retain the best teachers. "I would much rather put a phenomenal, great teacher in a field with 30 kids and nothing else than take the mediocre teacher and give them half the number of students and give them all the technology in the world," said Vanderhoek, a former middle school teacher who built Manhattan GMAT, a test preparation company that pays its tutors $100 an hour, far more than the competition. Ernest Logan, president of the city principals' union, called the concept of paying the principal less than the teachers "the craziest thing I've ever heard." "If you cheapen the role of the school leader, you're going to have anarchy and chaos," he said. Applicants, who must score at the 90th percentile in the verbal section of the GRE or GMAT, will face a rigorous application process, including multiple forms of evidence attesting to their students' achievement and three live teaching auditions.
Source: New York Times (free registration required), (03/10/2008)
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Michigan Charter Schools Concerned about Governor's New School Funding Plan
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm's proposed school funding plan provides a $108 to $216 increase in per-pupil funding for school districts and K-12 schools, but less money for charters that serve grades only in K-8. Charters serving grades K-8 students would receive only 70 percent of the increase, while schools that offer some high school grades will receive 70 to 100 percent. Only 20 percent of charter schools are K-12, said Gary Naeyaert of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies. Meanwhile, 96 percent of the traditional public school districts are K-12. "It is offensive to those particular K-8 (charter) students to say they are less deserving of a full funding increase in the new school year," Naeyaert said. "The premise of the foundation grant is that every child is worth the same thing."
Source: Grand Rapids Press, (03/09/2008)
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Charter Developers Hit Impasse in Nevada
Three groups looking to open or expand charter schools in Nevada failed to gain approval from the state Board of Education last week. The authorization of new charter schools is an increasingly controversial issue for the state board, which placed a moratorium on approving new charter schools last year. In February, state board members and staff from the Department of Education told legislators that they have neither the staff nor the financial resources to deal with the growing number of charter schools across the state. This year, there are 22 charter schools operating in Nevada, serving about 6,000 students. "I think they owe the public an explanation on why they're saying no to things," said Gary Waters, a former Board of Education member and a developer of Insight School of Nevada, a proposed online program for at-risk students. Not all board members are opposed to expanding charters. State Board Member Barbara Myers along with four other board members supported the charter expansions. "The people who are opposed to this don't seem to move over, no matter how much support there is," Myers said.
Source: Las Vegas Review Journal, (03/09/2008)
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New Hampshire House Gives Preliminary Approval for State Charter School Aid
Last week, the New Hampshire House voted 198-91 in favor of spending an additional $1.5 million to keep the state's 10 charter schools open another year. Schools without local financial support would get $2,700 per pupil more in state aid. The three charter schools that are supported by their districts would get $500 more per pupil. The House Finance Committee considers the bill next.
Source: WCAX-TV, (03/05/2008)
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Palm Beach County School Board Seeks to Regain Exclusive Control over Charters
The Palm Beach County School Board has asked the state Board of Education for permission to regain exclusive control over charter schools. Since October the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission has shared the right with local boards to approve and monitor charter schools, meaning that charter applicants can apply directly to the state commission. Schools Superintendent Art Johnson said that while he is not opposed to charter schools, he believes it is unfair that charter school operators are given a way of appealing directly to the state. "The charter schools can complain and get a sympathetic view," he said. The Florida Schools of Excellence Commission has yet to approve any new charters in the county; last month it denied applications from two proposed schools. Across the state, the commission has approved 17 of 55 applications.
Source: Sun Sentinel, (03/04/2008)
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Synergy Charter Academy in South L.A. Named California's Charter School of the Year
At last week's California Charter School Conference, Synergy Charter Academy in South Los Angeles was named Charter School of the Year. Caprice Young, a former L.A. Unified School Board president who is now chief executive of the California Charter Schools Association, said Synergy Charter "should be credited with not only closing the achievement gap, but eliminating it." Despite the challenges of a student population that is 85 percent socio-economically disadvantaged, Synergy achieved an Academic Performance Index score of 846 last year. It was the highest-performing school in South Los Angeles in 2006 and 2007. The school was named a National Charter School of the Year last year by the Center for Education Reform.
Source: LA Times (free registration required), (03/03/2008)
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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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