Charter schools feel weight of down economy
In their hope to find the best education for their children, some parents turn to charter schools — campuses that rely on public funding but which, governed by a state-approved charter, operate more independently than mainstream public schools.
The effort can pay off in multiple ways, with the parents wielding more control over the principal, the curriculum, staffing and scheduling — all factors that, the thinking goes, will lead to a higher-achieving campus or at least help avoid the challenges facing many public schools.
In the best of times, finding people willing — and qualified — to start a charter school is a heavy burden. There are facilities to line up, meetings to attend and students to recruit.
The recession appears to be taking its toll on this underrepresented sector of Nevada’s public education system.
The number of charter schools nationally increased to 5,043 last year, from 3,977 in 2006.
But even as the U.S. Education Department offers significant financial aid to encourage the creation of charter schools, the majority of pending applications with the Nevada Education Department appear stalled, and key deadlines have been missed for the 2010-11 academic year. And existing charter schools a
