WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, the Charter School Facility Center at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (National Alliance) released State Policy Snapshot: Facilities Funding for Public Charter Schools, a new report that looks at how states are enacting policies to help offset the cost of leasing, purchasing, and maintaining charter school facilities.
The report provides a snapshot of the 31 jurisdictions that have enacted at least one of the following five charter school facilities funding policies:
- Providing a per-pupil facilities allowance to charter schools (18 states)
- Creating a charter school facility grant program (15 states)
- Ensuring that charter schools have equal access to all existing state facilities programs and revenues for district-run public schools in a state (11 states)
- Providing a charter school facility loan program (14 states)
- Providing charter schools with access to local property tax dollars generated for facilities (five states)
“Access to adequate facilities is the number one hurdle for charter school growth, as well as to providing the best educational setting for students," said Charter School Facility Center managing director, Mark Medema. “This report provides a comprehensive overview of the charter school facilities environment across the country and shines a light on where states need to do more to help charter schools meet their facility needs.”
The report found that out of the 45 jurisdictions that have charter school laws, 31 have at least one charter school facilities funding policy in place. Colorado, New Mexico, and Ohio lead the states, with each adopting four of the policies. Even within the five categories analyzed, policies vary widely. The report provides a state-by-state overview of charter school facilities funding laws that illustrate the multitude of ways in which states have addressed charter school facility funding issues.
“As thousands of charter school leaders and advocates grapple with securing facilities, this report can spark conversations about how states can better support charter school facility funding,” said National Alliance senior vice president of state advocacy and support, Todd Ziebarth. “Since all charter schools are public schools, we hope the report will spur states to more equitably support the facilities needs of charter school students.”
About the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter sector. For more information, please visit www.publiccharters.org.
About the Charter School Facility Center A project of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the Charter School Facility Center is the first-ever entity solely dedicated to helping public charter schools access better and more affordable facilities and facility financing.