Charter Schools Providing More for Less Taxpayers’ Money
pic from PBS HAWAII.ORG
The “Race to the Top” initiative for education has the opportunity to make a major impact for the long term by learning what states and local educational authorities did with their stimulus money. The question should be asked: Will there be more of a lasting effect on education by giving the money to a district school or to a charter school?
Those that changed the rules by lowering standards to comply or by supplanting federal monies for what would have been state funding or by refusing to participate show what the commitment is to performance and the economic strength of the country.
The pattern that has been common among charter schools throughout the country is that regardless of the fact that charter school obtain fewer funds than school districts, the charter schools are able to meet or exceed the school district’s academic performance in most cases. The first and foremost difference is that charter schools are creating brand new school facilities without taxpayers bonds. It is through fundraising and fiscal management that this has been accomplished. The second type of school facility is through renting old (private or public) schools, renting office space, renting mall space, renting warehouses or college space. Charter schools, while pubic entities, are managed by a small group and are able to make decisions fairly quickly to get a facility negotiated and created into a school.
The other aspect of a charter school is that it is much more open to the community taking an active role in the school. The board of the school and its leadership actively want parent and student participation. The charter school has a larger number of volunteer, work-study and internship opportunities.
