Charter funding lags behind that of traditional public schools

Public charter schools nationwide continue to receive unequal funding from states and districts, according to a study released this week by Ball State University.

"This persistent pattern of unequal funding for public charter schools threatens to impede their continued growth," said Nelson Smith, president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, in a news release. "That means opportunity denied for several hundred thousand children now on charter school waiting lists."

Charter schools across the nation each year receive about $2.2 billion less than their traditional public school counterparts, according to the Charter School Funding: Inequity Persists report. The study analyzed 2006-07 education funding data from 24 states and the District of Columbia.

Although Utah was not included in the Ball State report, Utah mirrors the national trend. For the 2009-10 school year, charter schools got about $500 less per student than the state average.

"That's just flat-out unacceptable," said Kim Frank, director of policy and advocacy for the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools. "These kids are not second-class kids, and they shouldn't be treated as such."

Charter school advocates, including Frank, have been lobbying for funding parity since the first charter school opened its doors in Utah 10 years ago. State senators in March tried to slip a last-minute clause into the 2010-11 education budget that would equalize charter school funding by requiring school districts to share their property tax revenue. Though the House rejected the funding overhaul, the Legislature did award charters a $164 per student increase. Gov. Gary Herbert pledged to study the issue further in the interim.

"I'm optimistic," Frank said. "We recognize we've got a horrible economy right now. That $164 shows a sincere intent by the Legislature to make things right."

e-mail: estuart@desnews.com