Charter Schools take money and resources away from public schools.

“Taking money away” is a misnomer. When kids leave systems that do not meet their needs, money should leave. But it’s not leaving public education, it’s just moving to meet the public’s needs in a different way.

When a child attends a charter school, they are attending another legally created public school which a state’s education revenues are intended to support. And when money follows a child, other public schools in that state benefit from the renewed focus that money changing hands brings about – the idea that schools are set up for the benefit of students, and that their needs should drive services, not the other way around.

You would think that as public schools, charters would receive the same type and amount of funding as conventional district schools. But they don’t. Charter schools across the United States report that they are funded – on average - at 61 percent of their traditional district counterparts, averaging $6,585 per pupil compared to $10,771 per pupil at conventional public schools.

Charter schools throughout the country fight for their funding each and every time a state or city budget is reviewed and revised. Recently, charters in the District of Columbia, Indiana, Ohio and New York faced severe funding cuts that would have placed many schools in financial jeopardy. Even as the national leadership praises charters, these states still attack the financial base of schools that do more with less, and still raise educational achievement for kids.

Online resources from the Center for Education Reform:

National Charter School Online Directory (link)

Following the Money (link)

Your Charter School (link)