Stories featured in Ohio Charter News Weekly may require a paid subscription to read in full.
Up-to-date data in the Buckeye State
In 2021, an ExcelinEd analysis found that Ohio met only 18 percent of charters’ facility needs at that time, leaving schools to cover the remainder of their expenses—rent, maintenance, utilities, etc.—by dipping into operational funds that would otherwise go to classroom instruction. A report released this week revisits that analysis and finds significant improvement today, thanks to increases in the state per-pupil allowance for charter school facilities. However, charters must still cover nearly half of their facilities needs with operational funds. You can check out the full report here to see the important ideas offered to help put charter students on equal footing with their traditional district peers.
New data from the Ocean State
The Rhode Island League of Charter Schools this week released a comprehensive analysis of the state’s education funding formula, finding disparities worth highlighting in a number of categories. Charter students receive nearly 50 percent less funding than their district counterparts, students with disabilities and multilingual learners are shortchanged in charters and districts, and municipalities provide support inequitably between charter and district schools (often unnoticed). You can read the full report here.
Legislative movement in the Bluegrass State
House Bill 2, a proposal to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to allow state funding for charter schools, passed the Kentucky House of Representatives this week. It heads to the Senate soon, with hopes of approval in time for the amendment request to appear on the November ballot.
Budgeting
President Biden released his FY 2025 budget request this week. Among its many provisions is a cut of $40 million to the U.S. Department of Education’s Charter Schools Program (CSP). There’s a lot of debate and wrangling to happen between request and enactment, but Eric Paisner, Acting President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, was quick out of the gate to criticize this move. “Demand for these unique public schools remains high,” he wrote in a statement, “and a proposed cut…to…the only source of federal funding for start-up, replication, and facilities, sends the wrong signal to millions of families.”
Appreciation
Louis Freedberg, former executive director of EdSource among many other hats he wears, took to the pages of The 74 last week to talk about California charter school pioneer Don Shalvey. His work to lift the charter cap and increase funding resulted in early wins for charter schools in the state. But the fact that Shalvey came from the district establishment to not only support charters but to found the nationally-recognized Aspire Public Schools network shows how important he felt educational options were for families across the country. Shalvey is battling brain cancer, Freedberg reports. Thus he felt it important to bring this lesser-known charter pioneer some well-earned attention now.
*****
Did you know you can have every edition of the Ohio Charter News Weekly sent directly to your Inbox? Subscribe by clicking here.
