Charter schools are an alternative to conventional
public schools and are viewed as a middle ground between public and
private schools. The level at which states fund these schools can
vary, depending in large part on differences in state laws or
funding mechanisms.
In 1991, Minnesota became the first state to
pass charter-school legislation. Since then, 39 states (including
eight in the Midwest; see table) have enacted their own laws. Under
these laws, for example, a private group or entity can seek a waiver
from a local school district to self-govern a school in exchange for
the promise of delivering better academic results. A charter school
is typically given several years to produce the promised results.
States differ in how they regulate the types of
schools that can be opened, how they are managed and how many are
allowed. Public funding varies as well. According to the Center for
Education Reform, charter schools, on average, receive 40 percent
less in per-pupil funding than traditional public schools.
The center cites several reasons for the funding
disparity between charter and conventional public schools — most of
which are rooted in the charter- school laws themselves or other
statutes that govern K-12 financing.
Most charter-school laws, for instance, specify a
level of funding for operations, and many enumerate expenses that
are to be paid directly by the charter school, such as
transportation and facilities. However, some state laws fail to
stipulate that the local school district provide funds to the
charters for these expenses.
Other factors that impact funding levels include the
discretion given to local school districts in distributing dollars
to charter schools, the inability of charters to obtain access to
public debt financing and local bonding measures, and "hold
harmless" clauses that keep funds from following a student who moves
from a conventional school to a charter.
Typically, the center says, charter schools authorized by
agencies other than local districts, or that are their own "local
education agency," receive funding more on par with conventional
schools than charter schools that fall under the authority of local
districts.
|
Per-pupil funding levels for traditional and
charter public schools in the Midwest (2005-'06)* |
| State |
Traditional |
Charter |
| Illinois |
$10,506 |
$6,602 |
| Indiana |
$11,028 |
$6,400 |
| Iowa |
$9,771 |
$7,529 |
| Kansas |
$9,973 |
$5,601 |
| Michigan |
$10,900 |
$7,128 |
| Minnesota |
$11,010 |
$10,302 |
| Ohio |
$11,606 |
$6,098 |
| Wisconsin |
$11,160 |
$7,996 |
|
* States vary in
their number of charter schools and students enrolled in
them. Here are figures for the current school year: Illinois
(63 schools; 27,683 students); Indiana (41; 12,631); Iowa
(10; 1,462); Kansas (33; 3,361); Michigan (243; 93,892);
Minnesota (145; 28,371); Ohio (285; 94,171); and Wisconsin
(246; 41,799).
Source: Center for Education
Reform
|
