National Study Shows Dramatic Inequity in Charter School Funding

Funding gap in Illinois identified as 12.5 percent

CHICAGO, May 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new national study has confirmed what charter school advocates have always suspected:  a persistent and wide-ranging funding disparity between charter schools and their traditional public school peers. "Charter School Funding: Inequity Persists," released by Ball State University, exposes a stark funding gap in Illinois and across the nation. The study found that charter schools in Illinois receive 12.5 percent less funding per pupil on average when weighted for charter enrollment. This equates to a $1,514 per pupil funding gap for charter school students. Illinois currently has 32,000 charter school students, meaning that charter schools in Illinois are underfunded to the tune of $48.4 million annually.

"More out of necessity than legislative intent, charter schools have always had to do more with less," said Andrew Broy, President of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS), "and this new finding merely confirms that reality. What is remarkable about the study, however, is that the researchers examined all sources of revenue, including charter school start up funds, local and national philanthropic support, and other sources of charter revenue. If one were to focus just on the public sources of revenue — in my judgment the proper comparison — the funding gap would be dramatically larger. This reality, coupled with the fact that charter schools generally do not have access to facilities funding, will continue to impede the establishment of high quality charter schools to the detriment of our students."

The analysis was comprehensive, examining 24 states and the District of Columbia, covering 93 percent of the nation's public charter school population, and showing a national average per-pupil funding gap of 19.2 percent or $2,247. For a typical 500-student charter school, the funding gap amounts to a nearly $1,123,500 shortfall every year. The average gap was even larger — 27.8 percent — in "focus districts," 40 cities where almost half of all charter schools in the study are located.

"We're hurting the schools that are doing the most to help kids," said Broy. "The fact of the matter is that 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."

The Illinois Network of Charter Schools will continue to advocate for comprehensive school funding reform in Illinois so that students are funded equitably, whether they attend charter schools or traditional public schools. "While not all charter schools are perfect, they generally perform very well when compared to traditional neighborhood schools, and they have proven to be an extremely effective way to close the achievement gap between white and minority students," noted Carlos Perez, Director of Public Policy for INCS. "How can we as a state condition a parent's decision to send a child to a charter school on that parent's willingness to give up resources allocated for that child? It is simply unconscionable."

The study builds on work from a similar report released from 2005, and several members of the original research team added their efforts to the new report which was funded by the Walton Foundation.

The Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS) is dedicated to improving the quality of public education by promoting and invigorating the charter school concept. The voice of the state's charter schools, INCS advocates for legislation to strengthen charter schools, educates the public about the value of charter schools, and supports the dissemination of best practices throughout the system.

SOURCE Illinois Network of Charter Schools