Charter schools have the autonomy to innovate and create educational programs aimed at helping students achieve and maintain high levels of success. They are independent public schools designed and operated by educators, parents, community leaders, educational entrepreneurs and others.

Charters are sponsored in California by school districts and county boards of education that monitor their quality and integrity but allow them to operate free from the traditional bureaucratic and regulatory red tape that hog-ties public schools. Freed from such micromanagement, charter schools design and deliver programs tailored to educational excellence and community needs.

Because they are schools of choice (no one is forced to attend), they are held to the highest level of accountability consumer demand. As a public school, a charter school is open to all who wish to attend it (without regard to race, religion, or academic ability) and paid for with tax dollars (no tuition charges). Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools are held accountable for achieving educational results.

Questions and Answers About Charter Schools

WHY ARE THESE SCHOOLS CALLED "CHARTERS?"

Charter school operators set forth their goals and operating procedures in a contract that is reached with the local school district, county board of education or the state. This contract is called a "charter."

WHO PAYS TO OPERATE CHARTER SCHOOLS?

You pay to operate charter schools through the taxes you pay. Charter schools receive their funding directly from the state of California.

HOW ARE CHARTER SCHOOLS GOVERNED?

Charter schools have their own boards of education and operate independently of local school districts. Local schools districts and county boards of education, however, have an oversight responsibility over charter schools and review the progress of charter schools. Local school districts, county boards of education and the state can revoke charters.

A charter school is generally exempt from most laws governing school districts, except where specifically noted in the law.

HOW DO WE KNOW IF THE STUDENTS ARE DOING WELL AT CHARTER SCHOOLS?

Charter schools in California are required to participate in the statewide assessment test, called the STAR (Standardized Testing and Reporting) program. Charter schools are accountable to their sponsor - usually a state or local school board- to produce positive academic results and adhere to the charter contract. The basic concept of charter schools is that they exercise increased autonomy in return for this accountability.

ARE CHARTER SCHOOLS PRIVATE SCHOOLS?

No. All charter schools are public schools. The charter law prohibits the conversion of a private school to a charter school.

CAN CHARTER SCHOOLS TEACH RELIGION?

No. Charter schools must be nonsectarian in their programs, admission policies, employment practices, and all other operations.

DOES IT COST EXTRA TO SEND MY CHILD TO A CHARTER SCHOOL?

No. Charter schools may not charge tuition and may not discriminate against any pupil on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, or disability.

HOW DO CHARTER SCHOOLS RECEIVE THEIR FUNDING?

Charter school funding differs from funding for other schools.

Charter schools receive general-purpose funds and categorical program funds. General-purpose funds, which are similar to the revenue limit monies districts receive, come from local property taxes and the state. The funding is based on average daily attendance (ADA) estimated before school begins. The amount of funds varies depending on the age of the school’s students, with the state providing more as students get older.

However, instead of receiving separate funds from each categorical program as districts do, charter schools receive a block grant that includes 44 categorical programs. Many of the state’s largest categorical programs, such as Class Size Reduction (CSR), are not included in the block grant. But charter schools are free to apply for CSR funding and for other categorical money from the state or the federal government as long as they meet any applicable program requirements.

In addition, charter schools receive extra funding for each student they serve who is identified as an English learner or eligible for free/reduced-price meals. Schools receive double funding for each pupil who is both an English learner and from a low-income family. This is in lieu of the state Economic Impact Aid that districts receive.

In addition, the federal government has earmarked funds for California charter schools under the Public Charter Schools Grant Program. Charter developers, new charter schools, and those charter schools with a history of success are eligible for grants.

Charter schools, like traditional schools, provide services and receive funding for Special Education students through a Special Education Local Planning Area (SELPA). It is legally presumed that a charter school is an arm of its charter-granting agency and thus a part of its SELPA. Thus charter schools have to negotiate with their charter-granting agency.

HOW MANY CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE THERE?

There are currently more than 574 charter schools operating in California, serving about 212,000 students. There are more than 700,000 students nationwide attending 3,000 charter schools nationwide. The number of students attending charter schools is increasing at a rate of about 15 percent a year in the United States.

WHY CHARTER SCHOOLS?

Public charter schools offer an important and timely public school option to address the challenges facing our traditional education system. Charter schools are an exciting and high-potential alternative for the following reasons:

Most efforts to reform high-need public schools in California have failed. Charter schools provide parents the opportunity to offer real input in their child's education.

Charter schools give educators freedom to try new strategies to inspire student achievement.

Charter schools, less encumbered by the bureaucratic barriers that face other public schools, have the potential to spark system-wide change.

WHERE CAN I GO FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS?

Please visit the Charter Schools Association website for more information about charter schools. All Palisades charter schools are members of this organization, thanks to funding by the Palisades Charter Schools Foundation.