Charter Schools March 19, 2006 Sacramento Marta Reyes, Director Charter Schools Division

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Charter SchoolsMarch 19, 2006
SacramentoMarta Reyes, DirectorCharter
Schools Division
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Charter School Basics

• There is a statewide cap on the number of charter
  schools (950 in 2005-06), which increases by 100
  annually.
• There are currently 573 active charter schools in
  the state. Approximately 760 charters have been
  approved since 1993. The difference is composed
  of charters that have yet to open, have never
  opened, or have closed due to non-renewal,
  revocation, or voluntary surrender.
• Charter schools served approximately 190,000
  students in California, approximately 2.8 percent
  of the states public school population.
• 47 of Californias 58 counties have at least one
  charter school. Los Angeles County has more than
  100 charter schools, followed by San Diego.

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CURRENT LANDSCAPE

• TYPES OF CHARTER SCHOOLS
• Site based (classroom)
• A minimum of 80 of instructional time is spent
  on a school site under the immediate supervision
  of an employee of the charter school.
• Nonclassroom-based (independent study, virtual,
  mixed)
• More than 20 of instructional time is spent OFF
  the school site e.g., work experience,
  home/independent study, vocational experience
  etc.
• Requires charter school to comply with all Title
  V regulations for Independent Study
• Must meet financial expenditures as specified in
  SB 740 regulations
• May be a mixture of classroom and nonclassroom
  based offerings.

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• New SB 740 regulations (hand-out)
• Types of authorizers
• Districts
• County Offices
• District denial appeals
• County-wide benefit charter schools
• State Board of Education - Advisory Commission on
  Charter Schools and CDE
• County denial appeals
• All Charter Districts
• Statewide-benefit charter schools

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Revolving Loan Fund

• In January 1, 2001 the Charter School Revolving
  Loan Fund was created in the State Treasury.
• Loans may be made from moneys in the Charter
  School Revolving Loan Fund to a charter authority
  for charter schools that are not conversion
  schools, or directly to a charter school that
  qualifies to receive funding pursuant to Chapter
  6, approved by the SPI. Education Code
  41365-41637.
• Loans are limited to meet the needs of starting a
  charter school and are up to 250,000 during the
  first term of the charter school.

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• Loans are based on
• The soundness of the financial business plan,
• Availability of charter school to other sources
  of funding
• Geographic distribution
• Impact of receipt of funds on the charter schools
  ability to attract other public and private
  financing
• Plans for creative uses of funds e.g. credit
  enhancements, loan guarantees
• Financial need
• Priority to NEW charter schools for start-up
  costs
• Ability to repay
• Approximately 4,000,000 currently available

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National Perspective

• No Child Left Behind use of chartering
• The Charter School Program (CSP)
• Competitive State Grant Awards Public Charter
  School Grant Program (PCSPG)
• Three year cycles (2004-07) CA largest grant
  awarded in nation and history of program - 81
  million dollars.
• Three sub cycles established to award competitive
  grants from
• Start up grants - 450,000 three years
• (nonclassroom based schools limited to 150,000)
• Implementation grant - 400,000 2-3 years
• Dissemination grant - 200,000 2 years
• Emphasis on strategic utilization of grant awards
  to support the neediest communities,
• Replicable models replacing dissemination,
• Focus on improving student achievement,
• Limited awards to states first time in 2004-07
  grant cycle.

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• State leadership teams being formed with State
  Education Agencies (CDE) to work with the USDOE
  to plan for the next reauthorization in 2007,
• Teams made up of CSP, Special Education, and NCLB
  directors, the Governors offices, and selected
  policy makers,
• In addition, conversations are beginning/continuin
  g around.
• For Profit and non profit charter school
  developers, and
• Funding for charter school facilities,