Study finds charter schools get less money, how much less varies
Charter schools receive less public funding per student than their district school peers, according to a report released today by the city’s Independent Budget Office.But the size of that disparity varies widely according to whether the charter school is housed in a city-owned building, the report said.
Charter schools that are housed in public school buildings receive only $300 less per student than district schools, according to the IBO’s calculations.
But charter schools that own their own buildings or lease them receive more than $3,000 less per student in public funding than district schools, the report said. In those schools, charters must pay for maintenance and other building costs themselves. Those costs are covered by the Department of Education for charters in city-owned buildings.
The report, prepared at the request of Panel for Educational Policy member Patrick