National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Issues Statement and Policy Recommendations on New Ball State Report

Charter School Funding Gap is Nearly $2.2 Billion Annually; Why are Some Public Schools Shortchanged? Severe Shortages Hurt Students, Schools

WASHINGTON, May 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools today praised a newly-issued report from Ball State University that shows how public charter schools continue to receive unequal funding from states and districts. "This persistent pattern of unequal funding for public charter schools threatens to impede their continued growth," commented Nelson Smith, president and CEO, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. "That means opportunity denied for several hundred thousand children now on charter-school waiting lists," he added.  

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The full report, which is based on 2006-2007 data – the most recent year for which reliable data is available – was made public this morning, and is available at http://www.bsu.edu/teachers/ocsr/funding/.

When combined, public charter schools across the nation receive about $2.2 billion dollars less each year than their traditional public school counterparts.  "That's a disgraceful number," said Smith. "Charter schools are public schools. There is no excuse for the continuing gap in funding between a charter school student and the child who attends the district-run public school down the street."

This trend is one of many documented in the report, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Persists." It is the most comprehensive and rigorous study ever undertaken of how public charter schools are funded, state by state, and how their revenues measure up to dollars allocated to district-run schools. An analysis of 24 states and the District of Columbia, covering 93 percent of the nation's public charter school population, shows an average per-pupil funding gap of 19.2 percent or $2,247, when compared to traditional public schools in the same state during the 2006-2007 school year.  For a typical 250-student charter school, the funding gap amounts to a nearly $562,000 shortfall every year.  The gap was even larger – 27.8 percent – in "focus districts," 40 cities where almost half of all charter schools in the study are located.  

"The charter school funding gap is real, and unfortunately, it's getting larger," said Smith. "Not one state in this study provided charter schools with equal access to all funding sources at the federal, state and local level. This is just unacceptable," he added.

This report shows that funding for charter schools continues to be particularly unequal at the district level, especially with respect to facilities funding.  Only 14 states provide any facilities funding for charter schools, and even among those states, the allotment does not begin to cover the schools' true needs.  Disparities are most pronounced in urban areas.

Ironically, Washington, D.C., had the largest gap in the nation despite having, on paper, the nation's most equitable funding formula, one that provides rough comparability between charters and other public schools. Over time, the school district has received funding through other local and federal agencies that charter schools cannot access – creating a 41.2 percent gap in 2006-2007 alone.  

Among states, the most significant funding gaps are present in New Jersey, New York, Missouri, Delaware and Florida.  

As the national advocacy organization for the charter school movement, the Alliance is committed to advancing public policy that ensures the growth and replication of high-quality charter schools. In response to the report, the Alliance made the following policy recommendations, which are consistent with the recommendations in our publication, "A New Model Law for Supporting the Growth of High-Quality Public Charter Schools," which was released in 2009:

• All students attending all public schools should be receiving fair and equitable funding.  The report issued by Ball State documents significant gaps in funding, particularly at the local level. It is imperative that state and local governments provide charter schools with all the operational funds to which they are entitled, and open every competitive grant to competition from all charter schools.
• The lack of facilities funding continues to create an uneven playing field for charter schools.  It is imperative that facilities funding and/or access to existing public school facilities be provided for public charter schools.  It is unreasonable that charter schools should be required to take money away from teaching and learning in order to pay for capital needs.

The Alliance also recommends that states and districts have transparency in their data on funding for all public schools.  It is imperative that timely, reliable and easy-to-understand data be made available to parents, taxpayers and policymakers.

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (Alliance) is the national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement. The Alliance works to increase the number of high-performing charter schools available to all families, particularly low-income and minority families who currently do not have access to quality public schools. The Alliance provides assistance to state charter school associations and resource centers, develops and advocates for improved public policies, and serves as the united voice for this large and diverse movement. More than 1.6 million students attend nearly 5,000 charter schools in 39 states and the District of Columbia.

SOURCE National Alliance for Public Charter Schools