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Charter schools in South Carolina

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Charter schools in South Carolina are public schools operated independently of public school systems, either by nonprofit or for-profit organizations. Although they are largely publicly funded, charter schools are exempt from many of the requirements imposed by state and local boards of education regarding hiring and curriculum. As public schools, charter schools cannot charge tuition or impose special entrance requirements; students are usually admitted through a lottery process if demand exceeds the number of spaces available in a school. Charter schools generally receive a percentage of the per-pupil funds from the state and local school districts for operational costs based on enrollment. In most states, charter schools do not receive funds for facilities or start-up costs; therefore, they must rely to some extent on private donations. The federal government also provides revenues through special grants. As of March 2017, 44 states and the District of Columbia had approved legislation authorizing the creation of public charter schools. Six states had not.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a charter school advocacy group, there were an estimated 68 total charter schools in South Carolina in the 2015-2016 school year. These schools enrolled approximately 31,300 students.
  • Overall, charter school students accounted for 4.15 percent of total public school enrollment in South Carolina in 2015.
  • The South Carolina State Legislature approved the state's charter school law in 1996.

    • Background

    History

    The South Carolina State Legislature approved South Carolina's charter school law in 1996.

    The concept of creating public charter schools as alternatives to traditional public schools was first brought to public attention in the late 1980s by a small group of policymakers and educators. The notion gained traction in the early 1990s, and in 1991 Minnesota became the first state to pass a charter school law.[1]

    The National Conference of State Legislatures defines charter schools as follows:[2]

    “

    Charter schools are publicly funded, privately managed and semi-autonomous schools of choice. They do not charge tuition. They must hold to the same academic accountability measures as traditional schools. They receive public funding similarly to traditional schools. However, they have more freedom over their budgets, staffing, curricula and other operations. In exchange for this freedom, they must deliver academic results and there must be enough community demand for them to remain open.[3]

    		”
    —National Conference of State Legislatures

    Across the nation, charter schools have grown in number since the passage of the first public charter school law. As of March 2017, 44 states plus the District of Columbia had enacted charter school laws, and in 2013 it was estimated that 4.6 percent of all public school students attended charter schools. Performance results of charter schools nationally have been mixed, with some performing demonstrably better and others closing because they could not meet required standards.[2][4][5]

    In 2007, the South Carolina state legislature created the South Carolina Public Charter School District, or SCPCSD. This organization was designed to become a state-wide authorizer for charter schools that was independent of the state board of education. As of 2014, the SCPCSD enrolled over 14,000 students in its schools.[6][7]

    Participation

    According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a charter school advocacy group, there were an estimated 68 total charter schools in South Carolina in the 2015-2016 school year. These schools enrolled approximately 31,300 students. Overall, charter school students accounted for 4.15 percent of total public school enrollment in South Carolina in 2015.[8]

    Charter schools, 2015-2016
    State Total number of charter schools Estimated enrollment Percentage of total public school enrollment
    South Carolina 68 31,300 4.15%
    Georgia 115 82,800 4.79%
    North Carolina 161 82,000 5.30%
    Tennessee 100 33,300 3.32%
    United States total 6,824 2,930,600 5.85%
    Note: The percentages in the column labeled "Percentage of total public school enrollment" were calculated by taking the estimated number of charter school students in a given state and dividing by the total estimated number of public school students in that state in 2015. Total public school enrollment estimates came from the National Center for Education Statistics.
    Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "A Closer Look at the Charter School Movement," February 3, 2016

    Demographics

    See also: Charter school demographics and Demographic information for all students in the United States

    The table below presents information about the race/ethnicity of charter school students in South Carolina in the 2013-2014 school year, as reported by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. To facilitate comparison, the same figures are also provided for all public school students.[9][10]

    Enrollments by ethnicity, 2013-2014 (as percentages)
    Data sample White Black Hispanic Asian Other
    Charter schools in South Carolina 65.0% 26.0% 5.0% 1.0% 3.0%
    Public schools in South Carolina 52.5% 35.1% 7.5% 1.4% 3.5%
    Charter schools in the U.S. 34.9% 27.1% 30.0% 4.1% 3.8%
    Public schools in the U.S. 50.3% 15.6% 24.8% 4.8% 4.4%
    Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 203.70. Percentage distribution of enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by race/ethnicity and state or jurisdiction: Fall 2003 and fall 2013," accessed June 7, 2016
    National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Charter Public School Movement: A State-by-State Analysis," March 2016

    State law

    Authorizers

    Charter school authorizers are, according to the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), the organizations "designated to approve, monitor, renew, and, if necessary, close charter schools." NASCA has identified six primary types of charter school authorizers:[11]

    1. Higher education institutions (HEI)
    2. Independent charter boards (ICB)
    3. Local education agencies (LEA)
    4. Non-education government entities (NEG)
    5. Not-for-profit organizations (NFP)
    6. State education agencies

    The table below lists charter school authorizers in South Carolina as of June 2016. Click [show] to expand the table's contents.

    Enrollment regulations

    According to the state's charter school law, South Carolina charter schools must conform to the same admission standards as other public schools in the state. Students may not be prohibited enrollment into a charter school for any reason, with two exceptions: a particular school's charter establishes that the school is single-gender (an all-girl or -boy school), or the school may have fewer vacancies than there are applicants. In the latter case, students are selected via a lottery system, and students who are not awarded access are placed on a waiting list. If the applying student has either a sibling enrolled at the school, or a family member employed by the school, that applicant will have priority status on the waiting list.[12]

    Funding

    Funding practices for charter schools differ from state to state, and even between districts within states.

    In South Carolina, state law requires that charter school funds come from local school districts, using a formula determined by the charter school law. Schools within the SCPCSD do not receive funding from local districts, however, causing it to be one of the lowest-funded districts in the state.[13][14]

    Accountability

    See also: Accountability measures for charter schools

    South Carolina has several measures in place to ensure accountability in its charter schools. For instance, the state requires that a charter school compile an annual report to be submitted to its authorizer. The authorizer compiles all reports from all of its charter schools and passes them on to the South Carolina Department of Education. The state department then creates report cards for each school, identifying any shortcomings or congratulating the school on high performance. The state does not require regular reviews of authorizers, although it does reserve the right to conduct such reviews at any time. The state treats the SCPCSD as most other authorizers, but may revoke its ability to authorize charters at any time.

    Charter school law rankings

    In January 2016, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools released a report ranking all of the nation's charter school laws. South Carolina's law ranked 13 out of 43. The organization ranked each state's law by considering what it called "20 essential components of a strong charter school law." The table below compares South Carolina's score with that of neighboring states. To access the full report, including methodology, click here.[15]

    Charter school law rankings, January 2016
    State 2016 ranking 2015 ranking Ranking difference 2016 score 2015 score Score difference
    South Carolina 13 10 -3 152 152 0
    Georgia 18 23 5 147 137 10
    North Carolina 14 16 2 152 148 4
    Tennessee 34 32 -2 124 120 4
    Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Measuring Up To The Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws," January 2016

    Issues

    Debate

    Proponents of charter schools such as the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools argue that, due to their freedom from some state oversight and regulation, they can adopt more innovative educational approaches. This allows them to cater to their particular higher-risk school age populations, which are generally composed of more minority and poor students. In addition, advocates argue that charter schools empower parents and improve traditional public schools through competition.

    Meanwhile, critics such as Diane Ravitch argue that charter schools have not been proven to produce significantly higher levels of academic achievement as promised. It is difficult to find data comparable to traditional public schools. Critics also contend that charter schools divert funds from traditional public schools, which continue to enroll significant majorities of public school students, thereby compounding problems at failing schools and generating unequal outcomes for students.[16]

    Funding inequity

    In 2014, the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform released a report identifying disparities between charter school funding and traditional public school funding. Examining 31 states, the researchers considered all sources of charter school funding, including public funds, grants, and philanthropic donations. Researchers found that charter schools received on average 28.4 percent less than traditional public schools. South Carolina's funding disparity was lowest at 0.1 percent, while Louisiana's was highest at 58.4 percent. The disparity in South Carolina was -17.6 percent, earning the state a D grade. Charter schools in the state received on average $1,938 less per pupil than traditional public schools.[17]

    Below is a chart that compares South Carolina's grade and funding disparity with those of surrounding states. To access the full report, click here.

    Charter school funding disparity by state
    State Grade District per-pupil revenue Charter per-pupil revenue Disparity in dollars Disparity in percents
    South Carolina D $11,019 $9,082 -$1,938 -17.6%
    Georgia F $13,060 $8,472 -$4,588 -35.1%
    North Carolina D $9,988 $8,277 -$1,710 -17.1%
    Tennessee A $10,621 $10,635 $15 0.1%
    Source: University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands," accessed October 22, 2014

    Charter school management organizations and other groups

    See also: Charter school management organization

    In the 2010-2011 school year, 41 schools in South Carolina were freestanding, and three operated under education management organizations. None of South Carolina's schools operated under charter management organizations.[18]

    South Carolina has one charter school advocacy organization called the Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina. The group, founded in 2001, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the improvement of charter schools throughout the state.[19]

    Innovation

    See also: Charter school innovation indicators and High-performing charter schools

    Charter school proponents argue that charter schools have the freedom to adopt more innovative practices, which in turn lead to improved academic performance. To get a sense of the level of innovation occurring in charter schools, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools surveyed charter schools across the country on the various innovative education practices they employed. In South Carolina, an average of 29 percent of charter schools reported using innovative practices in the 2011-2012 school year. The table below displays the prevalence of a variety of innovative practices in South Carolina as a percentage of all charter schools in the state. The figures are compared with those in surrounding states.[20]

    Charter schools with innovative practices, in percents (2011-2012)
    State Extended day Extended year Year-round calendar Independent study School-to-work Higher education courses Average
    South Carolina 63% 33% 15% 26% 19% 19% 29%
    Georgia 59% 18% 0% 18% 27% 27% 25%
    North Carolina 25% 15% 18% 23% 13% 25% 20%
    Tennessee 86% 33% 14% 0% 0% 0% 22%
    Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014

    Ballot measures and legislation

    Ballot measures

    See also: School choice on the ballot and List of South Carolina ballot measures

    Ballotpedia has tracked no statewide ballot measures relating to school choice in South Carolina.

    Legislation

    The following is a list of recent charter school bills that have been introduced in or passed by the South Carolina state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

    Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms South Carolina charter school. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    Charter schools in South Carolina - Google News

    See also

    School Board badge.png

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Public School Review, "What is a Charter School?" accessed October 2, 2014
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 National Conference of State Legislatures, "Charter School Finance," accessed October 9, 2014
    3. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    4. ↑ Center for Research on Education Outcomes, "National Charter School Study," accessed October 9, 2014
    5. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Total Number of Students," accessed October 9, 2014
    6. ↑ South Carolina charter schools, "Our Histor," accessed November 20, 2014
    7. ↑ South Carolina Public Charter School District, "Home," accessed November 20, 2014
    8. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "A Closer Look at the Charter School Movement," February 3, 2016
    9. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 203.70. Percentage distribution of enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by race/ethnicity and state or jurisdiction: Fall 2003 and fall 2013," accessed June 7, 2016
    10. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Charter Public School Movement: A State-by-State Analysis," March 2016
    11. ↑ National Association of Charter School Authorizers, "Types of Authorizers," accessed June 6, 2016
    12. ↑ South Carolina Legislature, "Title 59, Chapter 40 - Charter schools," accessed November 20, 2014
    13. ↑ National Alliance for Public Schools, "Measuring up: South Carolina charter schools," accessed November 20, 2014
    14. ↑ GoUpstate.com, "All of our charter schools deserve fair funding," accessed November 20, 2014
    15. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Measuring Up To The Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws," January 2016
    16. ↑ The New York Review of Books, "The Myth of Charter Schools," November 11, 2010
    17. ↑ University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands," accessed October 22, 2014
    18. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014
    19. ↑ Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina, "About the Alliance," accessed November 21, 2014
    20. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014
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