Community Land Trusts and Charter Schools

Land trusts are popular in the affordable housing sector, but are less widely used for charter schools. Using community land trusts, or similar ownership structures, to reduce costs for charter school operators and preserve property for educational uses, is worthy of attention. But, securing and renovating commercial space and negotiating with private sector landlords can be time-consuming and expensive, especially for educators not accustomed to such dealings. In this paper, we provide a high-level overview of the community land trust model, and look at a few examples of these models in action and their benefits for charter schools.