Powerpoint Presentation on inequitable funding for charter schools in Oregon presented at the Northwest Center for Educational Options Annual Charter School Conference and summarized for the Oregon House Revenue Committee Legislative Hearing

1. Charter School Funding InequityIn Oregon Northwest Center for Educational Options Fifth Annual Charter School Conference March 11, 2011 Presented by Vanessa Wilkins, Seed Strategies, LLC

2. Charters get 55% or worse Vast differences by district Districts have access to resources not available to charters New legislation levels the playing field Key Take-away’s ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC 2

3. “Some charters say they’re getting half the funding their district counterparts get, not the 80% or 95% stipulated by law. We can’t address the problem if we don’t know what they’re really getting.” KaarenHeikes Executive Director Northwest Center for Educational Options ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC 3

4. How much public funding per student do charters receive compared to Districts? $’s per District Student $’s per Charter Student ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC 4 Our Answer

5. 5 ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC Unfortunately…. Our Answer It’s complicated

6. Oregon Dept. of Education 2008/2009 No Private Donations No start-up grants Fall Enrollment 192/197 districts about The data ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC 6

7. Charterseducate more than 2.7% of Oregon’s public school students, but receive only 1.5% of the funding. the Results are shocking ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC 7 Charters receive 55% of the funding of their district counterparts

8. 8 Charters receive $4,591 less per student ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC $12,000 $10,374 $10,000 $8,000 $5,783 $6,000 $4,000 $2,000 $0 District Charter

9. 9 Surprisingly, facilities make up only a small part of the difference ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC $12,000 $10,374 $10,000 $8,000 $5,783 $6,000 $4,000 $2,000 $0 District Charter

10. The actual amount varies widely by district ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC 10 $14,000 $13,000 $12,000 $10,900 $9,500 $10,000 $9,200 $8,000 $6,000 $5,100 $4,000 $3,000 $2,000 $0 North Bend SD1 Sheridan SD 48J Gresham Barlow District Charter

11. But most districts pay far less than 80% ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC 11 Districts Revenue Per Charter Student as a percentage of District Student Revenue

12. Small districts that convert to charters fare better ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC 12 Districts Revenue Per Charter Student as a percentage of District Student Revenue

13. 13 Segmenting these out shows the problem is even worse for most charters ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC $18,000 Public Funding Per Student $15,350 $16,000 $14,000 $13,120 $12,000 $10,475 100% $10,000 $8,000 $5,182 $6,000 $4,000 55% $2,000 $0 Charter District Charter District Charters Within Larger Districts Small Districts (75-250 students)

14. 14 Leaving charter schools in larger districts less than half (49%) their district counterparts ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC 14

15. 15 Why the disparity? ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC The law says... K-8 schoolsreceive at least 80% 9-12 schools receiveat least 95%of district’s General Purpose GrantSo why aren’t they getting this much? How much funding do charter schools receive?

16. Why the disparity? Districts stuck as middlemen Lack of $’s Declining enrollment amplifies issue Patchwork funding – some unavailable to charters Wide latitude for interpretation ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC 16

17. $’s follow the student…but they go through the district first ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC 17 Charter School Federal, State and Local Funds District

18. 18 ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC “You mean you’re taking 50 of my students AND you want me to pay you for them?” One Superintendent’s explanation of the issue Districts are stuck in the middle

19. 19 ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC No middleman is main difference for single-school-charter-districts Federal, State and Local Funds Charter Public School

20. 20 Districts have access to public resources not available to charters ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC Other Funding State SchoolFunding

21. 21 Some funding is still based on headcount that includes charters ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC Other Funding 31% And, only 9% is facilities

22. 22 “We have a really good relationships with charters in our district – a lot of that is because of goodwill they (the charters) put out – following the laws, making payments, taking care of schools.” District Administrator who pays 80% of ALL funding streams, including the local option, to charters ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC What determineswhether funds get passed through to charters?

23. “We have schools in 6 different districts and each one treats us uniquely.” Charter School Administrator ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC 23 There iswide latitude for interpretation

24. ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC 24 Anecdotally, relationship may matter more than anything else Charter School Federal, State and Local Funds District

25. 25 HB3397 would mandate charters receive 95% of all funding based on headcount ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC What could you do with 25% more money?

26. 26 Choose your district wisely Build/Maintain relationship with your district Advocate PS – you have 16,000 activist families to help you Follow the money Focus on the quality and TELL that story Final thoughts for charter school managers ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC

27. Charters get 55% or worse Vast differences by district Districts have access to resources not available to charters New legislation levels the playing field Key Take-away’s ©2011 Seed Strategies, LLC 27 Thank you!