Funding for Charter Schools
As public schools, charter schools are funded through a combination of federal, state, and local tax dollars. Different than non-charter public schools, though, charters have the freedom to determine how to spend their funds – in exchange for being held accountable for their academic, fiscal, and operational results.
There is wide variation from state to state, though, in how the funding of charter schools actually works. Some of the most serious funding problems involve restrictions on the use of funding by charter schools, delays in payments to charter schools, and forcing charter schools to pay for their facilities out of their operational budget.
What is consistent across the country – and most problematic – is that public charter schools receive significantly lower funding than non-charter public schools. According to a recent study, the average public charter school receives $1,800 per pupil, or 27.1 percent, less than what the average non-charter public school receives. For an average-sized charter of 250 students, the total funding difference is $450,000.
There is wide variation from state to state, though, in how the funding of charter schools actually works. Some of the most serious funding problems involve restrictions on the use of funding by charter schools, delays in payments to charter schools, and forcing charter schools to pay for their facilities out of their operational budget.
What is consistent across the country – and most problematic – is that public charter schools receive significantly lower funding than non-charter public schools. According to a recent study, the average public charter school receives $1,800 per pupil, or 27.1 percent, less than what the average non-charter public school receives. For an average-sized charter of 250 students, the total funding difference is $450,000.