A report released today using data from nearly 1,000 public charter schools across 10 states says that public charter schools are often stuck in spaces that are inferior to those used by traditional public schools.
Published by the Colorado League of Charter Schools and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the report “Charter School Facilities Initiative: Initial Findings from Ten States” finds that public charter schools in these states face the common challenge of having to spend a considerable portion of their operating budget on school facilities that are of generally lower quality than their district counterparts.
“This report shows that inequitable school facilities are a challenge faced by public charter schools nationwide,” said Jim Griffin, president of the Colorado League of Charter Schools. “States around the nation must act to ensure that public charter school students across the U.S. have access to equitable school buildings without affecting classroom spending.”
According to the report, charter schools in Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee and Texas spend on average 10.2 percent of their operating budgets on school facilities when renting buildings and 9.4 percent of operating budgets when they own their facility.
Additionally, charter schools in these states are often in facilities that are :
- Smaller than traditional public school buildings.
- Not originally constructed to be public schools.
- Lacking specialized instructional spaces, such as science labs, libraries, and art and music rooms.
Charter School Facilities Initiative: Initial Findings from Ten States