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.
Colorado Charter Leaders Fear Funding Cut
Under proposed new finance legislation, Colorado charter schools' state funding would be cut by $4.5 million next year. The proposed change would award "at risk" funding based on the number of low-income students attending each charter school, rather than on the average for the district. Because most of the state's charter schools have a lower percentage of at-risk students than other public K-12 schools, 106 charter schools in the state would lose money, while 35 would gain more funding. "It will be an honest accounting of what at-risk means and charter schools will get paid for the average number of at-risk kids they have," said House Education Committee Chairman Mike Merrifield. Charter school supporters say the proposed formula is flawed in several ways. Keith King, a former House minority leader who is the administrator of Colorado Springs Early Colleges charter school, noted that traditional public schools do not get paid for the exact number of at-risk kids enrolled, with more of the funding going to secondary schools than elementary schools. "There's a lot of hostility toward charter schools in the state of Colorado," said King.
Source: Colorado Springs Gazette, (04/15/2008)
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Nevada Governor to Hold "Summit" on Charter Schools
Citing a costly burden to provide the proper level of support and oversight, the Nevada State Board of Education has put a temporary halt on the review of new charter school applications. Nevertheless, Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons and the State Charter School Leadership Team are pushing the charter school movement ahead and holding a "Governor's Summit on Charter Schools" on May 2 in Carson City. Meeting plans include a discussion on the creation of a state association and policy development for the coming year. Charter school leaders are hopeful that a statewide association will form. "In the past getting schools going has been such a battle," said Craig Butz, executive director of Odyssey Charter School in Las Vegas and a member of the state's leadership team. "Everyone's been busy looking out for their own things." But it's never been more important for charter schools to find strength in numbers, he said.
Source: Las Vegas Sun, (04/14/2008)
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Charter Schools Seen as Strategy for Saving Urban Catholic Schools
A new study by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation finds that charter schools are being used to help urban Catholic schools that are in crisis. The report, "Who Will Save America's Urban Catholic Schools?" finds that the decline of inner-city Catholic schools has been hastened by Catholics moving to the suburbs, the employment of more lay teachers and principals at higher salaries, and rising tuition that priced out the poor and minority families that the schools sought to educate. In some communities, Catholic schools are converting to charter schools. "There's lots of different answers to the problem of saving Catholic schools. [Charter schools are] one of them," said Mary Anne Stanton, executive director of Center City Public Charter Schools, which was selected by the D.C. archdiocese to submit applications for conversion schools to the D.C. Public Charter School Board. The report states that charter conversion "may be the best available option - best in the sense that it would continue to make decent educational options available to youngsters who need them."
Source: Washington Post (free registration required), (04/14/2008)
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California Districts Feeling Impact from Charter School Growth
Districts across the state of California are feeling the impact of the expanding charter school movement. District officials attribute the rise in charter schools to dissatisfaction with the quality of regular public education and, to some extent, decisions by school boards to close campuses to allow districts to save millions of dollars. With the state's looming budget deficit, officials say that charter schools can capitalize on these recent developments. "The charter operators know when sites are vacant. With districts publicizing school closures, charters will exacerbate the problem," said Baldwin Park Unified School District Superintendent Mark Skvarna. Today, there are 687 charter schools serving 240,000 students in California. Over the past 10 years, charter schools have grown by an average of 50 new schools a year.
Source: Pasadena Star News, (04/12/2008)
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Four D.C. Charters Struggle to Pay Back Loans to City
Four of the nine D.C. public charter schools that have borrowed a total of $13 million from the city's State Superintendent's Office have yet to pay back the loans as required. The outstanding loans total more than $5 million. John Stokes of the State Superintendent’s Office said he could not immediately name the schools that have been tardy in repayment, but said his agency is on track to fix the situation. "The OSSE is working with the CFO to ensure that we are provided with regular financial reports that will allow us to provide robust tracking of payments made on the loans we provide," he said in an e-mail.
Source: DC Examiner, (04/11/2008)
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One District Receives Initial Recommendation to Become Georgia's First Charter School District
Decatur City in Georgia learned last week that its application to become a charter school district has been approved for recommendation by a state review committee. Four other school districts received letters saying their petitions did not receive approval yet and should be revised by April 22. The school systems needed to be more specific as to how local schools gain power over personnel and budget and needed to spell out how requested waivers from state regulations would improve student performance, said Andrew Broy, state associate superintendent for policy and charter schools. The state board of education will consider the petitions May 8.
Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution, (04/10/2008)
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State Board of Education Appeals to Ohio Supreme Court Over Charter School Payments
The State Board of Education voted last week to appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court two previous judgments ruling the state must reimburse districts for some payments that went to charter schools. Districts and charter schools in the state have often disagreed about the number of students enrolled in their schools. Two Hamilton County courts sided with the Cincinnati district, saying that state law did not allow the state to base per-pupil payments on enrollment figures that come from charter schools. Ohio schools are paid on a per-pupil basis, so an accurate count is critical. State funds for charters flow through school districts, so districts need to know exactly how many of their students have left for charter schools. "It's crucial for (districts) to capture the number of kids who are in charter schools because they're getting deducted for it," said David A. Varda of the Ohio Association of School Business Officials. State officials, however, say the new counting system, which relies on charter schools to accurately report their student enrollment, is better than relying on district numbers for charters. "It appeared to us that (the charter schools') report would be more accurate because the kids are in their own building," said Paolo DeMaria, the Education Department's associate superintendent for school options and finance.
Source: The Columbus Dispatch, (04/08/2008)
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National Public Charter Schools Week to Be Held May 5-9
National Public Charter Schools Week will be celebrated May 5-9, 2008. A primary purpose of this annual event is to connect public charter school students, parents, teachers, and leaders to policymakers, so they can experience the schools and the enthusiasm of the people supporting them. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools encourages charter schools to participate in a dynamic video campaign called "See Us Growing Excellence" - go here for more information.
Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, (03/15/2008)
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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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