This year, lawmakers around the country allocated more than $100 million in facilities funds for public charter schools. Facilities funding represents an area of historic inequity for charters. But change has come!
Advocacy makes the difference
Advocacy efforts on behalf of public charter schools are bearing fruit: For instance, in 11 states, lawmakers took steps to push for greater parity in funding. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools outlines these 2021 legislative gains in a blog post. Here are steps that three states took this year:
- Colorado: Lawmakers increased the cap on moral obligation bonds for charters from $500 million to $750 million.
- New Jersey: The FY 22 budget includes $5 million in facilities improvements for charter schools–for the first time ever.
- Tennessee: Legislators passed a budget with $6 million in recurring funds for facilities; the budget also includes $18 million in non-recurring facility funds.
Stay tuned. As the Alliance notes, “We hope to see many other states pursue facility-related legislation in the next session as well.” Read more from the Alliance here.
