Every Year The Puzzle Shifts

According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, California continues to outpace the rest of the nation in charter school enrollment and growth. Wednesday’s report states that 87 new charter schools opened in California this school year, more than in any other state.  This brings the total of California charter schools to 1,184 which is nearly double that of Florida and Arizona, the states with the next highest number of charters.

 Charter schools are independently run public schools often started by community groups that operate under agreements with local or state education agencies giving them more latitude in staffing and course decisions. “The charter school alliance estimates that California’s charter schools are serving 547,800 students this year. That’s almost twice as many as in Florida, the state with the next largest charter school enrollment.” (1)

One of the biggest challenges involved is the annual scrambling for facilities to house charter school students.  California voters approved measures intended to ensure that charter school students share equally in school facilities. For Districts this can be a real challenge of competing concerns and needs involving precious resources; how to serve students in District schools and simultaneously meet the needs of District students in charter schools.  Sometimes shuttered or closed campuses can be used, but these have grown scarcer as has affordable and appropriate private market space.

Districts are required to make an offer in April for the coming school year.  Charter schools are often provided information in April, per state timeline requirements, which may mean moving or significant changes in space or costs.  These challenges significantly impact sustainability, planning, enrollment and ultimately and primarily it hurts our children.

Every year the puzzle shifts.

Not all arrangements are problematic and not all Districts move and constrain charters on an annual basis.  In some areas charters and Districts have agreed to collaborate in the best interest of all students … charter and traditional …. and the hope is that as we continue the charter journey this will become the norm.

1.        http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/02/11/california-continues-to-lead-nation-in-charter-school-growth/