Charter school funding inequity
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| Education policy in the U.S. |
| Public education in the U.S. |
| School choice in the U.S. |
| Charter schools in the U.S. |
| Higher education in the U.S. |
| Glossary of education terms |
| Education statistics |
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Part of the national debate on charter schools is the issue of funding. Though all public charter schools are at least partially financed with public funds, there is some inconsistency in the level of funding and the formula used to determine how much the schools receive. Schools can either be funded with per-pupil allocations paid by the school districts, with per-pupil revenue from the authorizer (90 percent of which are local school boards), or with a flat statewide formula.[1]
In the past it has not been entirely clear how much funding charter schools receive. Traditional public schools are funded by a mix of state and local funds raised through property taxes. Because of this, there is a wide variation in public school funding between districts due to differing property values. Charter schools add another layer of complexity to the mix, and with their ability to fundraise and receive grants in addition to their public funds, it has been difficult to calculate exactly how much funding charter schools receive.[1]
In an effort to understand the issue more accurately, the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform looked at all sources of revenue for charter schools and noncharter schools in 31 states for the 2010-2011 school year. In 2014 they released a report of their findings, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands," which details disparities between public school and charter school revenues and grades states based on their averages.[2]
Below is a table that provides the results from the study. To access the full report, click here.
| Charter school funding disparity by state | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | State | District per-pupil revenue | Charter per-pupil revenue | Disparity in dollars | Disparity in percents |
| A | Tennessee | $10,621 | $10,635 | $15 | 0.1% |
| B | New Mexico | $10,701 | $10,336 | -$365 | -3.4% |
| Texas | $11,072 | $10,690 | -$381 | -3.4% | |
| D | Illinois | $13,461 | $11,408 | -$2,053 | -15.3% |
| North Carolina | $9,988 | $8,277 | -$1,710 | -17.1% | |
| South Carolina | $11,019 | $9,082 | -$1,938 | -17.6% | |
| Arizona | $9,532 | $7,783 | -$1,749 | -18.4% | |
| Colorado | $11,102 | $8,786 | -$2,316 | -20.9% | |
| Florida | $10,177 | $8,047 | -$2,129 | -20.9% | |
| Utah | $8,039 | $6,352 | -$1,687 | -21.0% | |
| Massachusetts | $17,943 | $14,140 | -$3,802 | -21.2% | |
| Minnesota | $14,843 | $11,429 | -$3,414 | -23.0% | |
| F | Connecticut | $18,527 | $13,902 | -$4,625 | -25.0% |
| Hawaii | $14,161 | $10,562 | -$3,599 | -25.4% | |
| Delaware | $13,869 | $10,327 | -$3,542 | -25.5% | |
| Idaho | $8,262 | $6,134 | -$2,128 | -25.8% | |
| Missouri | $18,073 | $13,390 | -$4,682 | -25.9% | |
| Ohio | $11,764 | $8,580 | -$3,184 | -27.1% | |
| Michigan | $13,118 | $9,485 | -$3,633 | -27.7% | |
| California | $11,777 | $8,324 | -$3,453 | -29.3% | |
| New York | $23,210 | $15,920 | -$7,290 | -31.4% | |
| New Jersey | $22,056 | $15,043 | -$7,013 | -31.8% | |
| Pennsylvania | $18,339 | $12,495 | -$5,844 | -31.9% | |
| Arkansas | $12,521 | $8,392 | -$4,130 | -33.0% | |
| Indiana | $13,286 | $8,671 | -$4,616 | -34.7% | |
| Georgia | $13,060 | $8,472 | -$4,588 | -35.1% | |
| Maryland | $19,101 | $11,754 | -$7,347 | -38.5% | |
| District of Columbia | $32,822 | $20,086 | -$12,736 | -38.8% | |
| Wisconsin | $16,757 | $9,870 | -$6,887 | -41.1% | |
| Oregon | $10,968 | $6,127 | -$4,841 | -44.1% | |
| Louisiana | $26,735 | $11,134 | -$15,600 | -58.4% | |
| United States** | $13,448 | $9,635 | -$3,814 | -28.4% | |
| Source: University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands," accessed October 22, 2014 **Note: The United States average excludes Louisiana. | |||||
See also
External links
- University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands"
- National Conference of State Legislatures, "Charter School Finance"
Footnotes
