Charter Schools

1
Charter Schools

• November 8, 2005

2
School Choice Programs

• Magnet schools
• Open enrollment
• Charter schools
• Vouchers
• Tax credits and deductions
• Home schools
• Dual/concurrent enrollment

3
Charter Schools

• Semi-autonomous public schools
• Run by educators, parents, community groups or
  private organizations
• Have an approved plan or contract
• Specify outcomes
• Can opt out of certain rules and regulations
• Must meet the terms of their charter

4
Facts About Charters

• 40 states, DC and Puerto Rico have charter
  legislation
• Approximately 3000 charter schools exist
• Every state law varies in terms of
• Who can sponsor
• How much money
• What certification is needed
• What rules and regulations can be waived

5
Harvard Study

• Chicago
• True control group
• History
• Students who for two years in elementary school
  attended a charter school
• Scored 6 percentile rank points higher in both
  reading and math

6
Is a Charter School Part of an LEA?

• 29 states have charter schools that are part of
  an LEA
• 24 states have charter schools that are their own
  LEA
• 11 states allow both

7
Who can Approve Charter Schools?

• Boards
• Local
• County
• State
• Trustees
• Charter Authorizers
• Both local and state
• Universities
• Private
• Public
• Voters
• Cooperatives
• Organizations
• State commissioner
• Board of Regents
• Area vocational-technical
• Advisory committee

8
How is Funding Determined?

• Per pupil funding
• Funding follows students
• A minimum amount is designated
• Funding negotiated with sponsoring district
• Locally approved
• State approved
• A designated percent not less than or more than a
  certain amount
• Average daily expenditure

9
How is Funding Determined?

• AZ Per pupil amount
• CA Funding follows students
• CO 100 of per pupil less 5
• CT 7,360
• GA Specific funding formula
• IL Not less than 75 or more than 125 of per
  capita student tuition
• KS Discretion of school district
• NH Minimum of 80 of per pupil funding
• NJ 90 of per pupil funding
• NM 98 of school generated cost
• OK 95 of average daily expenditure
• Most common is 100 of per pupil funding

10
CERs Annual Rating of Charter Laws

• AP Approaching parity
• M Moderate gap
• L Large gap
• S Severe gap

11
Rating on Charter School Laws
12
What Type of Start-Up Grants are Provided?

• Loan fund
• New Charter School fund
• Pilot program
• State Board of Education grant
• Legislature appropriates money
• Stimulus funds
• Start up funds

13
What Type of Facilities Funds are Provided?

• Vacant/unused schools
• Bond financing
• Rent-free
• Lease aid funding
• One-time grant
• Low interest loans
• Federal funds
• Tax exempt financing

14
Are There Caps on the Number of Charters Allowed?

• Out of 40 states
• Yes 26
• No 14
• The range of caps
• 2, 6, 10, 12, 20, 24, 25, 42, 60, 100
• 120 (Massachusetts)
• 150 (Michigan)
• 215 (Texas)
• 225 (Ohio)
• 850 (California)
• 15

15
What Rules are Waived?

• Textbook, curriculum and scheduling
• Hiring of staff
• All state laws except auditing, collective
  bargaining, discriminatory practices
• Class size and teaching load, length of school
  day
• Locally imposed school district requirements

16
Is there an appeals process for renewal?

• 20 (out of 40) states have no appeals process for
  renewals
• Various methods used
• State Court 2
• State Board 8
• State Board Judicial review 4
• Arbitration 2
• Judicial review 1
• Commissioner 2

17
Questions

• How do caps on the number of charter schools
  allowed, affect growth rates?
• Who should authorize charter schools?
• What chartering policies are most conducive to
  facilitating positive and meaningful charter
  school impacts?
• Should a funding formula for charter schools be
  established?
• Is there a correlation between charter funding
  levels and the number of charter schools
  operating?
• Would allowing greater autonomy while ensuring
  high performance and accountability work?