Charter Schools: How Funding Works

The Dear New Leaders Series aims to educate elected officials, policymakers, and the general public about important topics in public education. In this episode of Get Schooled on Public Education, we discuss how charter schools are funded, and the role federal policies play in shaping this process. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools’ Senior Director of Government Relations, Ron Rice, joined the conversation.


Featured Guest

• Ron Rice, Senior Director of Government Relations, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

Key Takeaways:

• Charter schools are free, public, and open to all.
• Charter schools are innovative public schools designed to meet the needs of students, families, and communities.
• The Charter Schools Program (CSP) is the nation's only source of dedicated federal funding to support the creation, expansion, and replication of public charter schools.
• Charter schools face significant hurdles when it comes to securing facilities.
• A proposed federal bill, The Equitable Access to School Facilities Act, would expand facilities support programs for charter schools.

Quote:

“Charter schools are all publicly funded.” - Ron Rice


Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:29 - Navigating Unique Funding Opportunities
02:58 - Relying on Philanthropy for Building and Facilities
04:47 - The KIPP Success Story and Community Empowerment
05:26 - Bridging Community Gaps through Charter Education
06:29 - Supporting education bill for equitable school facilities
08:44 - Outro