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Charter schools in Wisconsin

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Charter schools in Wisconsin 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 244 total charter schools in Wisconsin in the 2015-2016 school year. These schools enrolled approximately 44,800 students.
  • Overall, charter school students accounted for 5.15 percent of total public school enrollment in Wisconsin in 2015.
  • The Wisconsin State Legislature approved the state's charter school law in 1993.

    • Background

    History

    The Wisconsin State Legislature approved Wisconsin's charter school law in 1993.

    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 1993, Wisconsin was one of six states to enact a charter school program. The original legislation stipulated that there could be no more than 20 charter schools established statewide, and no more than two schools per district.[6] The law has been revised many times since 1993.

    Participation

    According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a charter school advocacy group, there were an estimated 244 total charter schools in Wisconsin in the 2015-2016 school year. These schools enrolled approximately 44,800 students. Overall, charter school students accounted for 5.15 percent of total public school enrollment in Wisconsin in 2015.[7]

    Charter schools, 2015-2016
    State Total number of charter schools Estimated enrollment Percentage of total public school enrollment
    Wisconsin 244 44,800 5.15%
    Illinois 145 64,400 3.13%
    Michigan 300 149,100 9.85%
    Minnesota 165 48,200 5.55%
    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 Wisconsin 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.[8][9]

    Enrollments by ethnicity, 2013-2014 (as percentages)
    Data sample White Black Hispanic Asian Other
    Charter schools in Wisconsin 50.0% 27.0% 15.0% 5.0% 3.0%
    Public schools in Wisconsin 72.4% 9.7% 10.5% 3.6% 3.7%
    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:[10]

    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 Wisconsin as of June 2016. Click [show] to expand the table's contents.

    Enrollment regulations

    Wisconsin law does not provide rules for clear student recruitment, enrollment, or lottery procedures. Charter schools authorized by local school boards are allowed to provide open enrollment to any student in the state. Charter schools authorized by a city, university, or technical college can provide enrollment only to those students located in Milwaukee County or in an adjacent county. If a charter school replaces a public school in whole or in part, preference in admission must be given to pupils residing "within the attendance area or former attendance area of that public school."[11]

    Funding

    In Wisconsin, some charter schools receive funding directly from the state.

    The financing of charter schools differs from state to state, and even between districts within states. In Wisconsin charter schools authorized by a school board receive funding from the school district while charter schools authorized by a city, university, or technical college receive funding from the state. According to the Education Commission of States, in Wisconsin "a charter school authorized by a city, university or technical college receives an amount equal to the sum of the amount paid per pupil in the previous school year and the amount of revenue increase per pupil allowed in the current school year, multiplied by the number of pupils attending the charter school." In charter schools authorized by a local school board, however, the amount of funding is negotiated between the charter school and the local school board.[12]

    Accountability

    See also: Accountability measures for charter schools

    Wisconsin does not require charter schools to submit annual reports; however, the state does require that charter applications include annual audits of the financial and programmatic operations that will be performed. The law does not require contracts to include academic and operational performance expectations based on a performance framework. Once a charter school is in operation, there are no requirements for authorizers to do the following: collect and analyze student outcome data at least annually; conduct or require oversight activities; publish annual school performance reports notify their schools of perceived problems and give schools opportunities to remedy such problems; or, take appropriate corrective actions or exercise sanctions short of revocation.[11]

    The state does specify the grounds for terminating or not renewing a school’s charter as follows: 1) violation of a contract; 2) failure of pupils enrolled to make sufficient progress toward attaining the state education goals; (3) failure to comply with generally accepted accounting standards of fiscal management; or (4) violation of the state's charter school law.[12]

    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. Wisconsin's law ranked 37 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 Wisconsin's score with that of neighboring states. To access the full report, including methodology, click here.[13]

    Charter school law rankings, January 2016
    State 2016 ranking 2015 ranking Ranking difference 2016 score 2015 score Score difference
    Wisconsin 37 38 1 110 79 31
    Illinois 32 29 -3 129 129 0
    Michigan 21 21 0 143 141 2
    Minnesota 3 1 -2 174 174 0
    Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Measuring Up To The Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws," January 2016

    Issues

    Noteworthy events

    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.[14]

    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. Tennessee's funding disparity was lowest at 0.1 percent, while Louisiana's was highest at 58.4 percent. The disparity in Wisconsin was 41.1 percent, earning the state an F grade. Charter schools in the state received on average $6,887 less per pupil than traditional public schools.[15]

    Below is a chart that compares Wisconsin'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
    Wisconsin F $16,757 $9,870 -$6,887 -41.1%
    Illinois D $13,461 $11,408 -$2,053 -15.3%
    Michigan F $13,118 $9,485 -$3,633 -27.7%
    Minnesota D $14,843 $11,429 -$3,414 -23.0%
    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

    The main advocacy group representing Wisconsin charter schools had been the Wisconsin Charter Schools Association, but it dissolved as of June 30, 2014. The website stated:[16]

    “ After advocating on behalf of charter schools for a couple of decades, it was a tough decision for the WCSA board of directors. But without significant changes to the charter school law, it is difficult to continue to operate as a charter school membership organization. It is with extreme regret that the WCSA must close its doors."[3] ”

    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 Wisconsin, an average of 27 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 Wisconsin as a percentage of all charter schools in the state. The figures are compared with those in surrounding states.[17]

    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
    Wisconsin 35% 31% 15% 40% 25% 15% 27%
    Illinois 74% 52% 4% 17% 13% 9% 28%
    Michigan 55% 23% 9% 21% 5% 18% 22%
    Minnesota 27% 20% 10% 22% 13% 20% 20%
    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 Wisconsin ballot measures

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

    Legislation

    The following is a list of recent charter school bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin charter school. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    Charter schools in Wisconsin - 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. ↑ 3.0 3.1 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. ↑ Legis.wisconsin.gov, "Charter Schools," by Layla Merryfield for the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau, accessed November 10, 2014
    7. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "A Closer Look at the Charter School Movement," February 3, 2016
    8. ↑ 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
    9. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Charter Public School Movement: A State-by-State Analysis," March 2016
    10. ↑ National Association of Charter School Authorizers, "Types of Authorizers," accessed June 6, 2016
    11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Health of the Movement: Measuring Up," accessed December 4, 2014
    12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Education Commission of the States, "Charter Schools Update 2014--State Profile--Wisconsin," June 2014
    13. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Measuring Up To The Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws," January 2016
    14. ↑ The New York Review of Books, "The Myth of Charter Schools," November 11, 2010
    15. ↑ University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands," accessed October 22, 2014
    16. ↑ Wisconsin Charter School Association, "Home," accessed November 17, 2014
    17. ↑ 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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