ERIC Number: ED649891
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Dec
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Charter School Funding: Did Initial Pandemic Relief Advance Equity in the City?
Alison H. Johnson; Josh B. McGee; Patrick J. Wolf; Jay F. May
School Choice Demonstration Project
In early 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic closed schools for the rest of the 2019-20 school year (fiscal year 2020 or FY20). The United States Congress deployed funds to help K-12 schools adjust and plan for reopening via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, including the initial $13.2 billion installment through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER I) and initial $2.95 billion installment through the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER I) Fund. Private sector and non-profit organizations, including charter schools, were also eligible for loans through the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), most of which were partially or fully forgiven. In this report, we extend our analysis of school funding during FY20 from the 2023 report, "Charter School Funding: Little Progress Toward Equity in the City." In that report, we found that, on average, charter schools receive about 30 percent ($7,147) less funding per pupil compared to traditional public schools (TPS). That analysis excluded COVID relief funding. Here we compare the initial emergency COVID relief funds received by TPS and charter schools in 18 US Cities: Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; Camden, New Jersey; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; Detroit, Michigan; Houston, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; New Orleans, Louisiana; New York City, New York; Oakland, California; Phoenix, Arizona; San Antonio, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Washington, DC. We use data from federal and state sources to address the following research questions: (1) did emergency COVID relief funds allocated to publicly-funded schools in FY20 widen or narrow the preexisting charter school funding gap? and (2) was initial COVID relief funding (allocated for FY20) distributed equitably relative to student poverty?
Descriptors: Charter Schools, Educational Finance, Equal Education, Educational Equity (Finance), COVID-19, Pandemics, Federal Legislation, Federal Aid, Elementary Secondary Education, Emergency Programs, Grants
School Choice Demonstration Project. Department of Education Reform, University of Arkansas, 201 Graduate Education Building, Fayetteville, AR 72701. Tel: 479-575-3172; Fax: 479-575-3196; e-mail: edreform@uark.edu; Web site: https://scdp.uark.edu/
Related Records: ED631777
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: City Fund; Walton Family Foundation
Authoring Institution: University of Arkansas, School Choice Demonstration Project (SCDP)
Identifiers - Location: Georgia (Atlanta); Massachusetts (Boston); New Jersey; Illinois (Chicago); Colorado (Denver); Michigan (Detroit); Texas (Houston); Indiana (Indianapolis); Arkansas (Little Rock); California (Los Angeles); Tennessee (Memphis); Louisiana (New Orleans); New York (New York); California (Oakland); Arizona (Phoenix); Texas (San Antonio); Oklahoma (Tulsa); District of Columbia
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act 2020; Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A