Twelve studies find that overall gains in charter schools are larger than other public schools; four find charter schools’ gains higher in certain significant categories of schools; six find comparable gains; and, four find that charter schools’ overall gains lagged behind traditional schools.
Source: Charter School Achievement: What We Know, July 2005 Update
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http://www.uscharterschools.org/cs/r/view/uscs_rs/1791
This is a story about how the Bowling Green Charter School found facilities. These stories were co-developed by WestEd and NWREL.
Status: Converted 1993
Grades: K-6
Enrollment: 1000
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Bowling Green Elementary School converted to charter status in 1993. It was the eighteenth charter school in California. The school kept the same location, agreeing in its charter to pay the local district two percent of its non-capital expenses in rent, or approximately $90,000 per year. The biggest facilities challenge, according to director Dennis Mah, was negotiating exactly what services the district would provide in return for the rent paid. For instance, they agreed that if repairs were not completed within a certain amount of time by the district, the charter would be free to hire outside services and deduct the cost of repairs from the rent. The school formed a facilities committee to learn about facilities issues and negotiate with the district.
A modular unit on the campus of Bowling Green.
New drinking fountains were a priority.
According to Bowling Green's director, one of the best things about converting to charter status was gaining fiscal autonomy. The facilities committee was able to prioritize repairs, replacing broken sinks and drinking fountains, for example, and to allocate funds to support the curriculum. Teachers elected to spend $150,000 to remodel the library, and allocated $25,000 each year for books. As a result, Bowling Green Charter now boasts the best elementary school library in Sacramento.
A remodeled library supports student learning.
Bowling Green is located in a rapidly growing area, and the number of applicants to the school has increased. Accordingly, Bowling Green's director worked with the school district to obtain a low-interest loan to finance construction of a new annex of classrooms. The school also raised additional funds, including a $200,000 grant from the local utility company to install an air cooling system, and learned to serve as its own general contractor. Bowling Green staff learn as they go and are able to do more each year. They advise other charters to get a good handle on their finances and plan for facilities up front.
These stories about how selected charter schools found facilities were co-developed by WestEd and NWREL. If you have a story to share, please contact us.
Read all the facilities stories:
1 2 3 4 5 6
Source: www.USCharterSchools.org
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