Colorado Charter Leaders Fear Funding Cut

http://www.gazette.com/articles/schools_35197___article.html/charter_school.html

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
Date: 04/15/2008