Research on per pupil funding from 2002-2003 and 2006-2007 documented large disparities between public charter schools and traditional public schools. The 2002-2003 data showed public charter schools receiving 21.7 percent less per pupil funding than traditional public schools. The gap in 2006-2007 was slightly diminished to 19.2 percent. Unfortunately for five large cities, the funding gap in 2010-2011 remained.
In a new report, Education’s Fiscal Cliff: Real or Perceived, researchers find that public charter schools in Denver, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Newark, and Washington, D.C. received an average of one third less per pupil funding than traditional public schools, which equates to an average of $4,000 less per student (see the table below). The gap varies from $2,100 in Denver to nearly $13,000 in Washington, D.C. For three cities, Denver, Los Angeles, and Milwaukee, the gap in funding grew between 2006-2007 and 2010-2011. In Newark and Washington, D.C. the funding gap decreased. However, in these two cities, public charter schools received more than $10,000 less per student than traditional public schools.
City
Traditional Public School Per Pupil Funding
Public Charter School Per Pupil Funding
Funding Disparity
Funding Disparity as Percent of Traditional Public School Per Pupil Funding
Denver
$13,283
$11,139
$2,144
16.1%
Los Angeles
$13,446
$8,780
$4,666
34.7%
Milwaukee
$15,018
$10,298
$4,720
31.4%
Newark
$26,187
$15,973
$10,214
39.0%
Washington, D.C.
$29,145
$16,361
$12,784
43.9%
Source: Maloney, L, M. Batdorff, J. May, & M. Terrell. (2013). Education’s Fiscal Cliff, Real or Perceived? The data serve as a reminder that in many states and cities, public charter schools operate under inequitable conditions, receiving less than traditional public schools while being held to the same measures of accountability.
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