Building Excellence: How Helping Charters Access Facilities Can Improve Opportunity for Idaho Kids

Autor/inn/en	Robson, Kelly; Squire, Juliet
Institution	Bellwether Education Partners; Bluum; Building Hope
Titel	Building Excellence: How Helping Charters Access Facilities Can Improve Opportunity for Idaho Kids
Quelle	(2016), (52 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Charter Schools; Educational Opportunities; Educational Facilities Improvement; Administrator Surveys; Administrator Attitudes; Interviews; Funding Formulas; Educational Facilities Planning; Educational Finance; Barriers; Elementary Secondary Education; Public Schools; Idaho + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Charter school; Charter-Schule; Bildungsangebot; Bildungschance; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Funding; Finanzierung; Bildungsfonds; Public school; Öffentliche Schule
Abstract	To better understand charter leaders' experiences acquiring facilities, the authors conducted a survey of all charter school leaders in the state of Idaho. The leaders of 26 brick-and-mortar charter schools responded, representing 65 percent of all such charter schools in the state. The survey gathered a number of facilities-related data points, including the square footage and seat capacity of schools' current facilities, monthly and annual facilities-related expenditures, and whether charter school facilities have amenities like auditoriums, gyms, and libraries. Charter leaders were also asked about the specific challenges they face as they search for and finance property for their schools. This survey data, coupled with follow-up interviews with six school leaders and an analysis of publicly available data and reports, surfaced four key findings: (1) Limited access to financing is a major barrier to securing an adequate facility; (2) Charter leaders struggle to find suitable properties and often make significant tradeoffs; (3) Inadequate facilities funding makes it more challenging for charter schools to provide the educational programming they envision; and (4) Charter schools are able to construct and renovate facilities at a fraction of what districts spend. Based on these findings, the authors make the following three recommendations to the Idaho legislature to ensure charter public schools have more equitable access to facilities: (1) Give charter schools the right of first refusal or free or low-cost access to vacant, taxpayer-funded properties; (2) Allow charter schools to be included in local district bonds and levies; and (3) Increase funding for existing programs. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Bellwether Education Partners. e-mail: contactus@bellwethereducation.org; Web site: http://bellwethereducation.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01