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.
Last Chance! Share Your Feedback on the News Connection and Enter to Win Amazon.com Gift Certificate! Survey Concludes July 31
We would like your help to improve the Charter School News Connection and Monthly Resource Update. We are asking our readers to give us their feedback through a short online survey to better understand how you use these resources and gather your comments on their format and content. The five-minute survey has been developed by UScharterschools.org and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, sponsor of the News Connection. Your contact information and the opinions you provide will not be used for commercial purposes, nor sold or released to third parties. Readers who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 gift certificate from Amazon.com! To complete the survey, clickhere. We value our readers' opinions and are asking that they complete the survey today!
Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, (07/28/2008)
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Public Charter Schools in Detroit Reach Out to Students in Summer
Students enrolled at six Detroit-area public charter schools will get a second chance to keep their grade point averages high. Their schools have signed up for summer enrichment classes offered by Building Educated Leaders for Life, a Boston-based organization founded in 1992 by Harvard Law School students eager to raise children's academic performances. On average, students enrolled in the program gain four months' worth of reading, writing and math skills. "There is an extensive body of research that says children living in low-income communities lose three months of skills over the summer," said Earl Martin Phalen, CEO of BELL. "When you're able to turn that to not losing but gaining skills, that has a profound impact." "The kids are having so much fun they don't realize they are learning," said Tara Colvin, manager of intervention services for the National Heritage Academies, the charter schools' network.
Source: Detroit Free Press, (07/20/2008)
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Public Charter Advocates Push for School Bonds in Los Angeles
Last week, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa teamed up with public charter school supporters to pressure school board members and district officials to put a multibillion-dollar school bond on the November ballot and to include at least $300 million for public charter schools. The bond would include money to repair and modernize existing schools, upgrade their safety systems and build traditional campuses. "Today we're putting the muscle behind the reform movement to break down our system into schools that work for all of our kids," Villaraigosa said. The public charter community, led by former school board member and California Charter Schools Association leader Caprice Young, wants no less than $300 million, or about 10 percent of the proposed $3.2-billion bond. That level of support met with resistance from some board members of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Senior district administrators want to set aside just $150 million for public charters. Another $150 million would go to "educational partners to operate schools" that work within the system. The board will vote on the bond July 31.
Source: LA Times (free registration required), (07/19/2008)
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Proposed New Athletic Fees Concern Utah State Charter School Board
State Charter School Board members in Utah are concerned about proposed new fees that public charter schools would have to pay to school districts for public charter students to participate in extracurricular activities. Depending on district enrollment, football, a Tier 1 sport, would cost the charter school $200 to $600 per student. Tier 2 sports costs, including baseball, softball, basketball, swimming, diving, wrestling, soccer and volleyball, would range from $100 to $300 per student, depending on district enrollment. Tier 3 sports costs, including golf, tennis, cross country and track, would range from $75 to $150, depending on district enrollment. "I think that's way too much," said board president Brian Allen, adding he is worried about public charter schools being priced out of the system. The proposed extracurricular costs could not be passed on a school's students. The public charter school would be responsible for all fees and could opt not to have its students participate in sports.
Source: Deseret Morning News, (07/18/2008)
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Eight Philadelphia Public Charter Schools Receive Federal Planning Grants
In Philadelphia, where more than 30,000 students are enrolled in 63 public charter schools and waiting lists are long, expansion of the public charter school program has been delayed by the Philadelphia School Reform Commission for financial reasons. However, eight hopeful public charters in the city have just received federal public charter planning grants. The public charter applicants were given grants ranging from $38,200 to $50,000 to develop their proposals over the next three years The federal government provided the funds, but the state evaluated the applications and selected the winners. "These grants will help to create more educational opportunities for our students that incorporate high standards and strong accountability," said Secretary of Education Gerald Zahorchak of the Federal Charter School Planning Grants for 2008-09.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, (07/17/2008)
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D.C. Chancellor of Schools Calls for Open Market System where Public Charter Schools Can Flourish
Last week in a Charlie Rose interview, D.C. Chancellor of Schools Michelle Rhee commented on the praise that has followed the United Federation of Teachers' decision to operate public charter schools in New York City. She said, "I believe that one of the things we have to be cognizant of is believing in charter schools doesn’t mean starting a charter school or two charter schools. If you truly believe in charter schools, then you believe in an open market system where charter schools can flourish. If [Randi Weingarten] really believed in charter schools, is she advocating for a lift of the cap of charter schools? I don't think so." In the nearly one hour conversation, Rhee also commented on D.C. education politics, accountability in education outcomes, and ways to recruit, select, and retain high quality teachers.
Source: Flypaper, (07/16/2008)
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New York Public Charter Schools Receive $16.5 Million Federal Grant
New York's public charter schools program has received a federal boost of more than $16.5 million to improve existing schools and develop new ones. "Supporting the growth of new, high quality charter schools is critical to our efforts to improve the educational opportunities for all children," said Doug Mesecar, the U.S. Department of Education's Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement, when presenting the funds to leaders during a press conference at the Charter School for Applied Technology in Kenmore.
Source: Buffalo News, (07/16/2008)
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Public Charter School Sues Hawaii Department of Education and Charter School Review Panel Over Sanctions
A public charter school in Hawaii is suing the state Department of Education and others, alleging it was wrongly placed on probation for failing to obtain county permits for its school buildings and for longstanding financial problems. The suit by the Waters of Life New Century Public Charter School alleges the Charter School Review Panel erred when it held a hearing and placed the school on probation, a step that could eventually lead to revoking the school's charter to operate. The suit alleges the state Board of Education never established the legally required rules to place a public charter school on probation or revoke a charter, and therefore the panel had no legal authority to place the school on probation. The suit asks the Hilo Circuit Court to reverse the June 12 probation order. The school has struggled for years to find adequate facilities for its students, and the school's latest challenges emerged after an anonymous complaint was made to the Big Island Fire Department. The panel released an order banning Waters of Life from reopening in the fall unless it had fire code clearances and the required county permits for every building. The school's lawsuit alleges that Waters of Life was singled out for punishment for failing to provide adequate facilities when other Big Island public charter schools have the same problem.
Source: Honolulu Advertiser, (07/16/2008)
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McCain Calls for Expansion of Public Charter Schools
Addressing the NAACP Convention last week, Presidential Candidate John McCain called for expansion of public charter schools. He said: "Parents ask only for a choice in the education of their children. Some parents -- some parents may choose a better public school. Some may choose a private school. Many will choose a charter school. No entrenched bureaucracy or union should deny parents that choice and children that opportunity." McCain described a $250 million competitive grant program that would support state programs expanding online education opportunities, including the creation of new public virtual charter schools. "Under my reforms, moreover, parents will exercise the freedom of choice in obtaining extra help for children who are falling behind," he said. McCain said one reason that public charter schools are successful and desired by families is that principals have spending discretion. "I intend to give that same discretion to public school principals. No longer will money be spent in service to rigid and often meaningless formulas," he said. "Relying on the good judgment and firsthand knowledge of school principals, education money will be spent in service to public school students."
Source: Washington Post (free registration required), (07/16/2008)
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