Reports shed new light on California charter schools’ fiscal impact
Seattle, Wash. May 17, 2019 – The Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) is releasing three briefs that challenge some commonly held beliefs about the impact California charter schools have on school districts.
The reports come as a state task force reviews potential charter school policy changes, and state lawmakers prepare to debate a series of bills affecting charter schools. They conclude:
Charter school growth does not account for all district enrollment declines. In the most recent school year (2018–2019), charter school enrollment growth can account for little or none of the enrollment loss experienced by Los Angeles and San Diego Unified school districts. In Oakland, the district gained more students than did charter schools. District enrollment losses stem from a combination of demographic shifts and students attending schools in nearby districts, private schools, homeschooling, or charter schools.
Read our full brief on district enrollment losses.
There is no evidence that charter schools are to blame for fiscal distress in California school districts. Based on state data, we find no relationship between the share of students enrolled in charter schools and the likelihood school districts will enter fiscal distress. Between 1998 and 2015, an average of just 1.5 percent of school districts where charter schools enroll more than 10 percent of students entered fiscal distress.
Read our full brief on district fiscal distress.
Charter schools have, according to available evidence, important benefits for California communities and limited costs to the state. Like all policies, charter schools impose costs and generate benefits for California students. For example, in Southern California and the Bay Area, they have been shown to lift student achievement in reading and math—and particularly for students who are black, Hispanic, and living in poverty. These benefits should be considered alongside any costs.
Read our full brief on costs and benefits.
“Charter school policy is too important for California to get wrong,” said Robin Lake, CRPE’s director. “It is important for policymakers to carefully analyze the impact of charter schools for all California students, and the full range of challenges facing public education in the state.”
The reports and an accompanying
blog post offer recommendations for policymakers:
1. The state should work with school districts to develop more accurate budget and enrollment projections. This will help restore trust with taxpayers and teachers negotiating salaries, and enable an honest conversation with taxpayers and state policymakers about public schools' funding needs.
2. Policymakers should consider transition aid for districts where students leave for charter schools, as states like Massachusetts have done. This could help districts deal with costs they can't easily shed, and compete more effectively to attract students.
3. In districts struggling with the effects of persistent enrollment declines, charter schools and the state could pay into debt reduction funds that a district could tap if it made strides reducing costs and increasing financial transparency. Charter schools, in return, could receive improved access to district facilities.
For more information, or to arrange an interview with CRPE expert, please contact Travis Pillow at 407.376.3105 or
travis.pillow@gmail.com.
