Charter Schools Get Boost in Funding

March 12, 2010

Charter schools didn’t get the money makeover they hoped for this legislative session, but they managed to secure a bump in funding and a seat on the State School Board, among other things. Lawmakers argued over a last-minute move to force charter funding onto school districts. In the end, the two houses agreed to study the issue next year. The Legislature did tweak the formula for calculating how much local replacement money charter students get, however, giving the schools about $200 more per student. Also, while district schools will have to absorb the cost of some 11,000 new children, charter schools will get $13 million for growth. Other passed bills included one that gave a member of the State Charter School Board a non-voting position on the State School Board and eliminates the cap on charter school growth, and another that gave colleges and universities the power to start K-12 public schools. ? Elizabeth Stuart