FAQs

A charter school is a nonsectarian public school of choice that operates with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools. The "charter" establishing each such school is a performance contract detailing the school's mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. The length of time for which charters are granted varies, but most are granted for 3-5 years, but some charters in Georgia have been granted 10 years in their charter. At the end of the term, the entity granting the charter may renew the school's contract. Charter schools are accountable to their sponsor-usually a state or local school board-to produce positive academic results and adhere to the charter contract. The basic concept of charter schools is that they exercise increased autonomy in return for this accountability. They are accountable for both academic results and fiscal practices to several groups: the sponsor that grants them, the parents who choose them, and the public that funds them.

Charter schools are public schools of choice, meaning teachers and students choose them. They operate with freedom from many regulations that apply to traditional public schools. They generally offer teachers and students more authority to make decisions than most traditional public schools. Instead of being accountable for compliance with rules and regulations, they are accountable for academic results and for upholding their charter.

This varies from state to state, depending on the state's charter law. In Georgia, for example, there are two types of authorizers: school district boards of education, or the state board. Individuals or groups seeking to establish a charter public school must apply to the local school board of the district in which the school will be located and if approved, the petition is then sent to the state board of education for approval.

If a charter petition is denied at the local level, the petitioner may appeal to the state to become a "state charter special school". If approved, the charter school will not receive local dollars/funding for operations.

Parents, community leaders, businesses, teachers, school districts, and municipalities can submit a charter school proposal to their state's charter authorizing entity.

Nationwide, students in charter schools have similar demographic characteristics to students in all public schools. In Georgia, charter schools serve higher percentages of minority or economically disadvantaged students than the traditional public schools.

As public schools, charters are not allowed to charge tuition, and they are funded according to enrollment. In Georgia, charters do not receive capital funds for facilities. They are entitled to federal categorical funding for which their students are eligible, such as Title I and Special Education monies. Federal legislation provides grants to help charters with start-up costs

Since the first charter school opened in Minnesota in 1992, the charter school movement has grown to more than 3,500 schools operating nationwide in 2006-2007, serving over 1,000,000 students.

In Georgia, 74 charter public schools serve approximately 26,000 students statewide.

As of 2006, 40 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have passed charter school laws. The states are: Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

By law, charter schools must have a fair and open admissions process, conducting outreach and recruitment to all segments of the community they serve. When more students apply than can be accommodated, many charters use a lottery to randomly determine which students are accepted. Many charter schools in Georgia have waiting lists.

For information about starting a public charter school, please visit the Georgia Department of Education's Charter Schools Division website at:
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/pea_charter.aspx

Through the Public Charter Schools Program, the U.S. Department of Education offers grants to states, which then award subgrants to individual schools to assist them in planning, design, and initial implementation of new charter schools. Dissemination grants are also available to successful charter schools, with three or more years of experience, to support activities through which they help other groups open new or improve existing public schools. Charter schools are also eligible for funding under other federal programs.

For more information on federal funding and other resources, visit the Federal Support section of the US Charter Schools' website.

This is the area in which current research is centered and where more data are needed. Some schools have already been successful enough to have their charters renewed, which means their sponsors were satisfied that they met the original goals of their charter. A few charters have been revoked due to lack of proper financial management or lack of achievement. Charter schools have shown improvement in both parent and student satisfaction and in innovation in technology, curriculum, assessment, and governance.

In Georgia, charter schools have consistently outperformed traditional public schools with regards to CRCT testing, schools making AYP and High School Graduation Rate.

• In Georgia about half of all charter schools are start-ups, while some are converted from existing schools and others are district lead initiatives.
  
• Across the nation, most charter schools are small schools (median enrollment is 242 students compared with 539 in traditional public schools).
  
• They serve many different communities with a wide variety of curriculum and instructional practices.
  
• They vary a lot from state to state, school district to school district and school to school.
  
• Many charter schools have atypical grade configurations (K-3, K-8).