| Idaho Charters Push for More Funding |
| posted by: Cindy Omlin | February 08, 2013, 09:08 PM |
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Unfortunately, a lack of funding effects many charter schools in Idaho. Davinice Charter School, in Garden City, Idaho, faces closure unless funds come through. "I have two children for sure leaving today. This is their last day, and we're focusing only on them," said kindergarten teacher Elizabeth Sackman. "This school has the possibility of closing. It's like nothing we've ever heard before, ever. No one would ever imagine this could happen." "When I took over six years ago, we're now down to about 49 percent of the budget we had at that time," said DaVinci Charter School Director Cindy Hoovel. "We cannot use any local tax money. We cannot pass an emergency levy when something like that happens." While charters benefit and thrive under freedom from the school district's central bureaucracy and local governance, this same freedom eliminates the safety net provided to traditional public schools. While they should receive the same funding per pupil, in many cases this is not enough. Charter schools often have to pay for their own facilities and related fees. "Most of the challenges are because of lack of property funding, property tax funding and facility needs," said Idaho state Senator Cliff Bayer. "Something has to be done to accommodate those students. We can't turn away students in public education," said Senator John Goedde, Chair of the Senate Education Committee. Legislation regulating charter school funding has not been updated in over ten years, before charter were prolific. "I think it deserves to be looked at. I don't know that there are specific changes that need to be made at this point, but it needs to be looked at," said Goedde. Last year, legislation removed the cap on number of charter schools. "The commission is always looking at ways that they can continue to support charter schools and continue to support the growth of choice through charter schools," said Marilyn Whitney with the Idaho Charter School Commission. "There will very likely be measures considered in the future that will do something to address some of the challenges that the charter schools face," said Whitney. Do you feel like your charter school is properly funded? Is legislation in your state friendly to charter school growth and funding? Comment below. Originally posted by Ruthie at AAE.
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