As the number of charter schools has grown across the country, so has the number of bureaucratic requirements and red tape surrounding charter school operation. In California, for example, the state has added new restrictions on funding that was previously given to charters as block grants and is now forcing charters to track their own funding - a task that was previously handled by the district office. Given that charter schools are typically afforded a smaller operating budget than traditional public schools, these seemingly small changes can prove an immense obstacle to fledgling charters. And, since charter schools were started as an alternative to traditional schools, free from the regulation that stifles innovation, these regulations are making some schools wonder what they gain from their charter status. That worry is causing a few charter schools to consider going backwards - that is, reverting back to district school status, an ominous trend.
"Facing more rules, school may give up its charter," by Bill Lindlehof, Sacramento Bee, July 7, 2003