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ERIC Number: ED581409
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Apr
Pages: 47
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands
Batdorff, Meagan; Maloney, Larry; May, Jay F.; Speakman, Sheree T.; Wolf, Patrick J.; Cheng, Albert
School Choice Demonstration Project
This revenue study is based on Fiscal Year 2010-11 (FY11) data for each of 30 selected states plus the District of Columbia (D.C.). Traditional school districts and public charter schools were analyzed and aggregated "statewide." For each state, one to three "focus areas" were selected based on larger concentrations of charter students--most focus areas are large cities, some are metropolitan counties. Traditional school districts and charter schools were analyzed separately in each focus area. The analytic team collected and analyzed all revenues, public and private, flowing to traditional district and public charter schools. FY11 funding includes Federal, State, Local, Other, PublicIndeterminate, and Indeterminate sources. This revenue study relies on one general standard: find and analyze 100% of the dollars for the states and cities under review. Certain adjustments were made to FY11 figures, eliminating adult education and PreK revenues. The goal was to make district and charter figures as comparable as possible. The study findings raise several concerns: a 55% increase in the weighted per pupil disparity amount favoring districts between FY07 and FY11; little improvement in charter schools' access to local public tax revenues or facilities funding; and, state aid systems that systematically deny charter students the same funding levels provided to district students. When will charter schools see a reduction in the funding disparity? When will public school students experience resource equity? Clearly, neither of these events occurred in the FY11 round of research. School finance and policy levers are available to state education agencies that want to equalize charter funding. It is not a matter of intellect but, instead, of building political will to advance the goal of equity for district and charter school students.
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: http://www.uaedreform.org/scho
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Numerical/Quantitative Data
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Walton Family Foundation
Authoring Institution: University of Arkansas, School Choice Demonstration Project (SCDP)
Identifiers - Location: United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
IES Cited: ED580291