What is the purpose of charter schools?

Choice and diversity. Charters schools offer parents and students additional choices about where students attend school and the school’s curricular emphasis. They allow educators freedom to try new strategies to inspire students and to experiment with innovative ways of educating students. Also, charter schools allow individuals and organizations outside of the traditional education system to create and run public schools.

Are all charter schools the same?

No; not even close! Charter schools are structured according to their state-approved charter and no two charters are the same. Each charter school in Utah has its own Governing Board and acts as an independent district, reporting directly to the State Charter School Board and Board of Education. In fact, one of the main legislative purposes in funding charter schools is to better serve individual students and families by allowing for diversity in public education.

May a charter school limit its enrollment to certain students?

No.  A charter school is part of the public education system and must be open to all students, without discrimination, on the same basis as other public schools. (In some states, tests or other enrollment criteria may be allowed; this is not legal in Utah.) If the number of students applying to enroll in a charter school exceeds the capacity of the school, then those to be admitted are chosen at random from among the applicants (by “lottery”), subject to certain preferences (for example, founder or sibling preference).

Are charter schools subject to the same laws and regulations as other public schools?

As a general rule, yes. Laws and regulations relating to religion in the schools, school fees and tuition, health and safety, civil rights, annual reports, prohibitions against advocacy of unlawful behavior, screening of potential employees or volunteers for competency and fitness, and most other matters are exactly the same for both charter schools and other public schools. In this category of laws that are identical: charter schools comply with the public school requirements to employ only educators who hold valid teaching certificates or who meet State Board requirements for alternative certification or authorization.

However, a charter school is exempt from existing negotiated agreements relating to the hiring, employment, and dismissal of employees. A charter school’s governing board determines the level of pay and the terms and conditions of employment for its employees. In other words, most charters choose to avoid the complications and impediments that come with unions and hire their employees on an “at-will” basis. For example, when a traditional public school may find it difficult to fire a teacher whose performance is unsatisfactory, a charter school would have the freedom to act with only the good of the students and school in mind.

Charter schools are also exempt from a few laws that, because of their autonomy from school districts and their smaller student population, would be difficult or impossible for them to comply with on a practical level, such as busing laws and federal school lunch requirements.

Do charter schools take money from public schools?

No. Charter schools are public schools. When a child leaves a neighborhood school for a charter school, the money allotted by state law to educate each public school student (called a “Weighted Pupil Unit” or WPU) follows that child.

Charter school financing does differ in the fact that traditional public schools benefit from local property taxes, but charters only receive a portion of the property tax from the district for students that choose to attend a charter school. The state makes up some—but not all—of the difference from the state's general fund.

The widespread myth that charter schools receive more money than traditional public schools is categorically untrue. It would be more accurate to state that charter schools receive less public money than their traditional counterparts.

Where can I get additional information about charter schools?  For more about charter schools in Utah, start at http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/charterschools ; for national news and trends, begin with www.uscharterschools.org .