Charter school advocates are calling on state lawmakers to take a second look at how much those schools pay for the buildings they occupy. This comes after a study broke down the costs of owning and operating school buildings.
Charter schools are paying an average of $785 per student to fund their school buildings.
That’s according to a comprehensive facilities study from the National Charter School Resource Center.
Chad Aldis is with the pro-charter school group the Fordham Institute. He says when it comes to school buildings, charters face a tougher battle compared to traditional public schools with established facilities.
“If you see a school that’s in a former storefront that looks more like a strip mall than a school -- even though the education provided could be outstanding -- it’s harder for parents to make that decision to enroll in that school.”
The study found that 49% of charters would be interested in co-location, where they share a building with a traditional public school.