The Charter School Facility Index: Calculating State Policies’ Impact on Charter Schools

Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee
Opportunity

Several years ago, ExcelinEd piloted a new concept, the Charter School Facility Index, to fix a problem. Although state policymakers had enacted various policies to meet the facility needs of charter schools, they did not know how much actual support these policies were providing when implemented. The Charter School Facility Index specifically calculates the impact a state’s policies are having on charter schools in that state.

To date, ExcelinEd has used the Charter School Facility Index in three states: Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee. In each state, policymakers took advantage of the new information to take action and better meet the facility needs of their charter schools. Highlights are described here:

In Indiana, ExcelinEd found that the state was meeting only 40% of charter school facility needs. Further, the gap in funding was forcing charter schools to redirect $1,072 per student toward facilities, instead of classroom learning. With that money, an average-sized charter school could, for example, hire an additional eight teachers. ExcelinEd’s companion tool also allowed Indiana’s policymakers to explore policy options, and as a result, they increased the state’s facility allotment by $500 per charter school student. They also made it easier for charter schools to access surplus district buildings.

In Ohio, a similar study found a facility gap of $1,452 per charter school student, with existing state policies meeting only 18 percent of the need. Once again, policymakers used the data to take action. They doubled the state’s facility support from $250 to $500 per student. They are also examining how to reduce the high cost of financing for charter schools that want to own their school facilities.

And most recently in Tennessee, ExcelinEd found that each charter school could hire an additional six teachers if the state better met facility needs. Following the study, policymakers included significant funding for charter school students in a new funding formula and also increased funding for a separate facility grant program. At close to $500 per charter school student, the funding will cut the facility gap in half.

Critical to these successes was deep collaboration with in-state partners, including the Institute for Quality Education in Indiana, the Fordham Institute in Ohio and the Tennessee Charter School Center. Additionally, influential policymakers in each state were eager to better meet the facility needs of charter schools and were well prepared to put the new information to use on behalf of students.

Lastly, the companion tool allowed policymakers to explore modifications to existing policies as well as the potential for new policies, assessing how much impact the changes could have—and at what cost to the state. The tool was tailored for each state so that policymakers can continue to explore the most relevant policy options. ExcelinEd stands ready to assist other states with customized support in meeting their charter school facilities needs. For more information, contact Matthew Joseph.

Topics:

Charter Schools

About the Author

Matthew Joseph is a Senior Policy Advisor at ExcelinEd.

Solution Areas:

Education Funding