How Governor DeWine’s budget supports charters
Fordham’s Aaron Churchill recently praised Governor DeWine for his budget that recommends an increase of $30 million in state aid for quality charter schools. Churchill explains that there are three main things to know about the proposal: 1) Charters have to meet academic targets to receive the new funds; 2) Resources are targeted to benefit economically disadvantaged students most; and 3) The proposal promotes the replication and growth of promising startups.
New analysis released on funding gap between charters and traditional schools
A new analysis from Bellwether Education Partners looks into who is most affected by the $13 billion funding gap (nationally) between charter schools and traditional public schools. Researchers find that it’s the most underserved students who suffer when charters face unequal funding. Charter school students receive 27 percent less in per-pupil funding than their traditional public school counterparts, even though they are producing positive results, especially for students of color. You can find a detailed description of their findings in the 74.
Charter school success story
On Wednesday, a Columbus parent responded to the Dispatch’s recent editorial on the need for greater oversight for e-schools. Julene Knudson, the mother of a dyslexic daughter with focus issues, writes about how online charter schools prepared her daughter with the skills she needed to graduate from college with honors. Knudson argues that while she agrees all schools should be held accountable, we should hear just as much about the successes of charter schools as we do about the struggles.
Legislative update
It was quiet at the statehouse this week. The House and Senate Education committees didn’t meet as the House considers budget amendments, but the Joint Education Oversight Committee met on Thursday. The committee learned about the findings from a series of parent focus groups and an online survey regarding parent perspectives on Ohio’s School Report Cards. You can access materials from the meeting here.
Upcoming events
Some exciting events are right around the corner. Registration is now open for the School Performance Institute’s upcoming workshop on May 16. In addition, be sure to mark your calendars for National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 6-10) and National Charter Schools Week (May 12-18). You can find a helpful toolkit for NCSW here.
