Charter schools to get funding fix?

SALT LAKE CITY — After years of squabbling over funding, charter and district schools may soon make peace.

Representatives from the Utah School Board Association and the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools presented a compromise to the Legislature Tuesday that would free districts, which are required to pay charter schools a per-student portion of their property taxes, to keep all of their revenue. Charters would instead be fully funded by state income taxes.

"We feel like we've come up with a solution that's beneficial to both charter schools and local public schools," said Tamara Lowe, former president of the Utah School Board Association. "It's taken a long time, but we've finally come together."

Because charter schools cannot levy taxes, they are funded from a separate pot of money called the local replacement fund. The state provides 75 percent. Districts donate 25 percent from their property taxes.

In addition to this financing, the state gives both district and charter schools per-student money collected through income taxes. Under the proposal, the state would finance charter schools with income tax money before calculating per-student funding.

"It's not perfect," said Senator Howard Stephenson. "But can we find something more perfect?"

In the meantime, advocates still argue that charter schools are underfunded compared to district schools. Charter schools get about $500 less per pupil than the state average.

Deep budget cuts could force some charter schools to close, said Lincoln Fillmore, financial advisor for Gateway Preparatory Academy in Cedar City.

"If we can't maintain the programs that set us apart from traditional schools, parents will likely choose to send their children elsewhere," he said. "To operate as charter schools, we have to have 90 to 100 percent enrollment."

— Elizabeth Stuart