Learn about public and private sector sources of support to make it easier to finance facilities such as low cost loans and credit enhancements/moral obligations.
Public charter schools do not have access to the same affordable financing options as government supported district schools. Single-site charter schools, those in high-poverty or rural areas, and those with new models are at a significant disadvantage in the facilities financing market—they have to pay much higher interest rates to borrow money. States can provide financing solutions at little to no cost. Even in a best-case financing scenario, charter schools end up saddled with debt or lease obligations—which they must pay for with their per-pupil operating funds.
Most state laws do not provide public charter schools with the full amount of state and local funding that other public schools receive. And many charter school leaders struggle to locate funds to build and or renovate facilities for students to attend school.
Public charter school facilities projects need loan capital and place-based revolving loan funds (RLFs), often managed by state and local governments, are a promising solution. This paper provides 10 Building Blocks for prospective state and local funds to consider based on the experience of exi
In 2019, the charter school tax-exempt bond sector registered another record volume year with issuance exceeding $3.7 billion—up from almost $3 billion in 2018 and representing a robust 25% increase. This record volume was the seventh annual record out of the last eight years.
The National Charter School Resource Center published A Synthesis of Research on Charter School Facilities, a new, in-depth report on charter school facilities that examines the current state of charter school access to facilities, including facility acquisition and owne
The Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) prepared this report to demonstrate how charter schools can access development finance tools and programs for the acquisition and renovation of school facilities.
Financing a charter school facility is challenging enough. Refinancing a charter school facility is often a larger project and has more consequences because long term debt can last for 30 years or more. The stakes can be significant when locking into long term financing.
Since the early 1970s, moral obligation bonds have been used to finance housing, higher education facilities, hospitals, corrections facilities, and more. Some states are now using this tool to help charter schools save on borrowing costs.
Former credit rating analyst Liz Sweeney outlines recommendations for charter schools to maximize interactions with rating agencies.
State credit enhancement programs can provide effective, low-cost financing support for charter schools seeking to reduce costs for facilities financing.