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.
Coalition of Rhode Island Mayors Seek Authority to Open New Regional Public Schools
On May 9, proponents and opponents of "mayoral academies," public charter schools run by municipal administrators, testified before a Rhode Island House Finance Committee. House Bill 7874 would place an amendment to Rhode Island's public charter school law, giving mayors and town managers the power to create public charter schools. The schools would be freed from the contractual agreements with teacher unions that are a standard in every public school in the state, including public charter schools. The bill also seeks to exempt the proposed mayoral academies from the state moratorium on new charter schools. The Rhode Island Department of Education and the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools have said that the legislation would create an unequal, “two-tiered” system of charter schools. Teachers' union representatives have said it is as an attempt to subvert the collective bargaining process. "Mayoral academies would be a low-risk, high-reward pilot for our state,” said Cumberland Mayor Daniel McKee, the bill’s most ardent supporter. “If successful, they could demonstrate to all of us how to control education costs while improving the performance of our children.” Rep. Steven Costantino, chair of the committee, said that McKee's mayoral academies represented “an intriguing proposition that is worthy of more study.”
Source: Providence Journal (free registration required), (05/17/2008)
Also See
-----------------------------------------------
Public Charter Schools in New Hampshire Get a Reprieve
The New Hampshire Senate approved a plan last week that keeps a public charter school state aid plan alive, providing just one dollar per pupil but holding out the promise that more money will be coming when a Senate delegation meets with House members in a conference committee. Sen. Margaret Hassan said the one dollar per pupil in House Bill 1642 is a temporary move, "while we continue to find ways to find a viable funding mechanism for these schools." The House passed the bill with $1.5 million for seven public charter schools. William Wilmot, of Seacoast Charter School and the New Hampshire Public Charter Schools Association, said the plan "was a step we needed at this point to send us to committee of conference and figure out a solution."
Source: The Union Leader, (05/16/2008)
-----------------------------------------------
Georgia Districts to Sue Over New Public Charter School Authorizing Law
On May 13, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law HB 881 which establishes the Georgia Charter Schools Commission and grants the commission the right to authorize public charter schools. Before the new law passed, local school districts did not have to allocate full funding for public charter schools. The new law allows the commission to authorize a public charter school's use of a school system's per-pupil funding. Local level school leaders are angry about loss of control and some have said they are planning to file suit. "We will be a part of the lawsuit," said Decatur City Schools board Chairwoman Valarie Wilson. Herb Garrett, executive director of the Georgia School Superintendents Association, said other systems may want to pursue the matter in court, although he declined to name them.
Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution, (05/15/2008)
Also See
-----------------------------------------------
Georgia Governor Signs Three New Public Charter School Bills into Law
Last week, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law a bill that allows public charter school developers whose application is rejected by the local board of education to seek approval before the newly formed Georgia Charter Schools Commission. The law makes Georgia the eighteenth state to create an independent alternative public charter school authorizer. The second bill Perdue signed creates a state program to provide matching funds to public charter school organizations for capital improvements or construction. The third new law makes staff at public charter schools eligible for the State Health Benefit Plan. Perdue said taken together the three bills give parents more options and will improve student achievement. Georgia has 70 public charter schools in operation this school year. That number is expected to rise to more than 100 in the fall.
Source: Athens Banner-Herald, (05/14/2008)
-----------------------------------------------
Missouri Public Charter School Unionizes
Staff at Construction Careers Center, a public charter school sponsored by the St. Louis Public Schools district, have joined the local American Federation of Teachers. Teacher Mike Meehan said the 32 employees of the Construction Careers Center feel like they will have a real say in how the school is operated. "Charter schools were originally started by teachers and parents. A lot of other charter schools have gotten really away from that," he said. "We want to have everyone involved in the decision making process." Mary Armstrong, president of Local 420, said Albert Shanker, the late president of the AFT, proposed charter schools in 1988 and wanted them to be "teacher-led laboratories of reform" that would promote flexibility and innovation. She said the local teachers' union still opposes the opening of any new public charter schools, but it has never viewed public charter schools' staffs as enemies.
Nationwide, about 70 public charter schools have unionized.
Source: South Side Journal, (05/13/2008)
-----------------------------------------------
KIPP Officials Debate Expansion in California
KIPP, a high-performing public charter school network, is studying whether to expand further in California, where state funding is as low as one-half of what other states pay. Although KIPP has aggressive expansion plans in cities like Newark, N.J., Houston and New Orleans, officials are debating whether to continue focusing on growing in California. KIPP is popular in urban communities across the nation, and is increasingly "clustering" schools in cities like Houston and New Orleans. Clustering allows the network to save on overhead costs."For us to grow, one of the factors we're going to look at is the financial feasibility," said KIPP spokesman Steve Mancini. "If per pupil funding went up in Sacramento, it would be a lot easier." "The fact of the matter is that revenues are low and the costs of operating in California are high," said Eric Premack of the Charter Schools Development Center, who noted that high real estate and labor costs in California exacerbate the low per-pupil funding. "Any other state will financially be a more attractive area."
Source: Mercury News (free registration required), (05/13/2008)
-----------------------------------------------
Texas Public Charter School Leader Moves to New York
Jonas Chartock, Founding President and CEO of the Charter School Policy Institute in Austin, Texas has been named by the State University of New York Board of Trustees as Executive Director of the SUNY Charter Schools Institute. The New York Charter Schools Act of 1998 granted SUNY the power to authorize 100 public charter schools. There are currently 43 SUNY authorized public charter schools operating across New York State, serving over 14,000 students. “It was an extremely tough choice for me, but Texas charter schools are now coming together under a diverse member-led association, unified behind the common goal of creating quality choices for parents and students," said Chartock. "Jonas Chartock is a highly regarded leader in the national charter school community,” said SUNY Board of Trustees Chairman Carl Hayden. “We are delighted that he will be bringing his expertise to the Charter Schools Institute—itself broadly recognized for high quality authorizing practices—to build on the Institute’s successes and move this important organization to the next level.”
Source: Charter School Policy Institute, (05/12/2008)
-----------------------------------------------
Countdown to New Orleans: National Charter Schools Conference Less Than One Week Away (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. Major speakers at the conference include Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, actor and education activist Danny Glover, Alliance President Nelson Smith and Geoffrey Canada, President and Chief Executive Officer for the Harlem Children's Zone. 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)
-----------------------------------------------
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.
|
|
