CHARTER SCHOOL FUNDING
Charter schools are public schools that operate with public funds like regular public schools do. The funding of charter schools in PA is governed by the 24 PS 17-1725-A. A brief excerpt from that law is as follows.
24 PS 17-1725-A Funding for charter schools
(a) Funding for a charter school shall be provided in the following manner:
(1) There shall be no tuition charge for a resident or nonresident student attending a charter school.
(2) For non-special education students, the charter school shall receive for each student enrolled no less than the budgeted total expenditure per average daily membership of the prior school year, as defined in section 2501(20), MINUS the budgeted expenditures of the district of residence for
This amount shall be paid by the district of residence of each student.
Based on this law each year PDE announces the school district charter school per pupil payments. Based on this announcement the school district is expected to pay charter school according to the established reporting system between the district and the charter school.
To give an example, in 2012-13 school year State College Area School District (SCASD) spent $17,644 per student. Charter schools payment per child was $11,054 which is roughly 63% of the district per pupil spending. YSCP spent $11,894 per student in 2012-13 which comes to 67% of the rate that SCASD spent. What we spent and what we received from SCASD per child is not equal. That is because we do not receive all students from SCASD, special education funding levels are higher and the figures I listed do not separate special education from regular education. Finally, we have other sources of income like grants that are included in the latter number. In conclusion, we receive and have to operate with 2/3 of the funding that SCASD spends per child.
24 PS 17-1725-A Funding for charter schools
(a) Funding for a charter school shall be provided in the following manner:
(1) There shall be no tuition charge for a resident or nonresident student attending a charter school.
(2) For non-special education students, the charter school shall receive for each student enrolled no less than the budgeted total expenditure per average daily membership of the prior school year, as defined in section 2501(20), MINUS the budgeted expenditures of the district of residence for
- nonpublic school programs;
- adult education programs;
- community/junior college programs;
- student transportation services;
- for special education programs;
- facilities acquisition, construction and improvement services; and other financing uses, including debt service and fund transfers as provided in the Manual of Accounting and Related Financial Procedures for Pennsylvania School Systems established by the department.
This amount shall be paid by the district of residence of each student.
Based on this law each year PDE announces the school district charter school per pupil payments. Based on this announcement the school district is expected to pay charter school according to the established reporting system between the district and the charter school.
To give an example, in 2012-13 school year State College Area School District (SCASD) spent $17,644 per student. Charter schools payment per child was $11,054 which is roughly 63% of the district per pupil spending. YSCP spent $11,894 per student in 2012-13 which comes to 67% of the rate that SCASD spent. What we spent and what we received from SCASD per child is not equal. That is because we do not receive all students from SCASD, special education funding levels are higher and the figures I listed do not separate special education from regular education. Finally, we have other sources of income like grants that are included in the latter number. In conclusion, we receive and have to operate with 2/3 of the funding that SCASD spends per child.