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Charter schools in Idaho

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Charter schools in Idaho are public schools operated independently of public school systems, either by nonprofit or for-profit organizations. Although they are largely publicly funded, charter schools are exempt from many of the requirements imposed by state and local boards of education regarding hiring and curriculum. As public schools, charter schools cannot charge tuition or impose special entrance requirements; students are usually admitted through a lottery process if demand exceeds the number of spaces available in a school. Charter schools generally receive a percentage of the per-pupil funds from the state and local school districts for operational costs based on enrollment. In most states, charter schools do not receive funds for facilities or start-up costs; therefore, they must rely to some extent on private donations. The federal government also provides revenues through special grants. As of March 2017, 44 states and the District of Columbia had approved legislation authorizing the creation of public charter schools. Six states had not.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a charter school advocacy group, there were an estimated 48 total charter schools in Idaho in the 2015-2016 school year. These schools enrolled approximately 21,100 students.
  • Overall, charter school students accounted for 7.20 percent of total public school enrollment in Idaho in 2015.
  • The Idaho State Legislature approved the state's charter school law in 1998.

    • Background[edit]

    History[edit]

    The Idaho State Legislature approved Idaho's charter school law in 1998.

    In 1991 Minnesota became the first state to pass a charter school law.[1]

    The National Conference of State Legislatures defines charter schools as follows:[2]

    “

    Charter schools are publicly funded, privately managed and semi-autonomous schools of choice. They do not charge tuition. They must hold to the same academic accountability measures as traditional schools. They receive public funding similarly to traditional schools. However, they have more freedom over their budgets, staffing, curricula and other operations. In exchange for this freedom, they must deliver academic results and there must be enough community demand for them to remain open.[3]

    		”
    —National Conference of State Legislatures

    Across the nation, charter schools have grown in number since the passage of the first public charter school law. As of March 2017, 44 states plus the District of Columbia had enacted charter school laws, and in 2013 it was estimated that 4.6 percent of all public school students attended charter schools. Performance results of charter schools nationally have been mixed, with some performing demonstrably better and others closing because they could not meet required standards.[2][4][5]

    In 1998, the Idaho State Legislature passed the Idaho Charter School Law. Governor Phil Batt (R) signed it into law.[6]

    Participation[edit]

    According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a charter school advocacy group, there were an estimated 48 total charter schools in Idaho in the 2015-2016 school year. These schools enrolled approximately 21,100 students. Overall, charter school students accounted for 7.20 percent of total public school enrollment in Idaho in 2015.[7]

    Charter schools, 2015-2016
    State Total number of charter schools Estimated enrollment Percentage of total public school enrollment
    Idaho 48 21,100 7.20%
    Montana 0 0 0.00%
    Oregon 127 31,500 5.36%
    Washington 0 0 0.00%
    United States total 6,824 2,930,600 5.85%
    Note: The percentages in the column labeled "Percentage of total public school enrollment" were calculated by taking the estimated number of charter school students in a given state and dividing by the total estimated number of public school students in that state in 2015. Total public school enrollment estimates came from the National Center for Education Statistics.
    Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "A Closer Look at the Charter School Movement," February 3, 2016

    Demographics[edit]

    See also: Charter school demographics and Demographic information for all students in the United States

    The table below presents information about the race/ethnicity of charter school students in Idaho in the 2013-2014 school year, as reported by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. To facilitate comparison, the same figures are also provided for all public school students.[8][9]

    Enrollments by ethnicity, 2013-2014 (as percentages)
    Data sample White Black Hispanic Asian Other
    Charter schools in Idaho 86.0% 1.0% 9.0% 1.0% 3.0%
    Public schools in Idaho 76.8% 1.1% 17.2% 1.3% 3.6%
    Charter schools in the U.S. 34.9% 27.1% 30.0% 4.1% 3.8%
    Public schools in the U.S. 50.3% 15.6% 24.8% 4.8% 4.4%
    Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 203.70. Percentage distribution of enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by race/ethnicity and state or jurisdiction: Fall 2003 and fall 2013," accessed June 7, 2016
    National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Charter Public School Movement: A State-by-State Analysis," March 2016

    State law[edit]

    Authorizers[edit]

    Charter school authorizers are, according to the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), the organizations "designated to approve, monitor, renew, and, if necessary, close charter schools." NASCA has identified six primary types of charter school authorizers:[10]

    1. Higher education institutions (HEI)
    2. Independent charter boards (ICB)
    3. Local education agencies (LEA)
    4. Non-education government entities (NEG)
    5. Not-for-profit organizations (NFP)
    6. State education agencies

    The table below lists charter school authorizers in Idaho as of June 2016. Click [show] to expand the table's contents.

    Enrollment regulations[edit]

    Charter schools in Idaho are required by law to maintain open enrollment policies. In the event that there are more applicants to a charter school than there are spaces to accommodate them, a random lottery is held to determine admissions.[11]

    Funding[edit]

    In Idaho, charter schools receive a portion of their funding from the state.

    Funding for charter schools differs from state to state, and even between districts within states. In Idaho, as in several other states, public education funding follows students if they move from traditional public schools to charter schools. In addition, the state also allocates funds for facilities to charter schools on a per pupil basis.[12][13]

    Accountability[edit]

    See also: Accountability measures for charter schools

    Charter schools in Idaho are required to prepare and submit fiscal and programming audits to their authorizers. In addition, charter schools are required by law to publish annual performance reports on their websites. The law establishes the following as grounds for termination of a charter school:[13]

    “ Failure to meet one or more of the performance terms certificate, which include performance provisions established by the charter school's governing board and the authorized chartering entity, or written conditions for improvement from the authorized chartering entity. A charter may not be revoked until after a public hearing unless the chartering entity decides continued operation presents a public safety issue.[3] ”
    —Education Commission of the States

    Charter school law rankings[edit]

    In January 2016, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools released a report ranking all of the nation's charter school laws. Idaho's law ranked 22 out of 43. The organization ranked each state's law by considering what it called "20 essential components of a strong charter school law." The table below compares Idaho's score with that of neighboring states. To access the full report, including methodology, click here.[14]

    Charter school law rankings, January 2016
    State 2016 ranking 2015 ranking Ranking difference 2016 score 2015 score Score difference
    Idaho 22 20 -2 141 141 0
    Montana N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
    Oregon 28 26 -2 133 133 0
    Washington N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
    Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Measuring Up To The Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws," January 2016

    Issues[edit]

    Debate[edit]

    Proponents of charter schools such as the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools argue that, due to their freedom from some state oversight and regulation, they can adopt more innovative educational approaches. This allows them to cater to their particular higher-risk school age populations, which are generally composed of more minority and poor students. In addition, advocates argue that charter schools empower parents and improve traditional public schools through competition.

    Meanwhile, critics such as Diane Ravitch argue that charter schools have not been proven to produce significantly higher levels of academic achievement as promised. It is difficult to find data comparable to traditional public schools. Critics also contend that charter schools divert funds from traditional public schools, which continue to enroll significant majorities of public school students, thereby compounding problems at failing schools and generating unequal outcomes for students.[15]

    Funding inequity[edit]

    In 2014, the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform released a report identifying disparities between charter school funding and traditional public school funding. Examining 31 states, the researchers considered all sources of charter school funding, including public funds, grants, and philanthropic donations. Researchers found that charter schools received on average 28.4 percent less than traditional public schools. Tennessee's funding disparity was lowest at 0.1 percent, while Louisiana's was highest at 58.4 percent. The disparity in Idaho was -25.8 percent, earning the state an F grade. Charter schools in the state received on average $2,128 less per pupil than traditional public schools.[16]

    Below is a chart that compares Idaho's grade and funding disparity with those of surrounding states. To access the full report, click here.

    Charter school funding disparity by state
    State Grade District per-pupil revenue Charter per-pupil revenue Disparity in dollars Disparity in percents
    Idaho F $8,262 $6,134 -$2,128 -25.8%
    Montana No charter school law
    Oregon F $10,968 $6,127 -$4,841 -44.1%
    Washington Was not studied
    Source: University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands," accessed October 22, 2014

    Charter school management organizations and other groups[edit]

    See also: Charter school management organization

    In the 2010-2011 school year, 38 schools in Idaho were freestanding, none operated under charter management organizations, and two operated under education management organizations.[17]

    Idaho has one charter school advocacy organization, the Idaho Charter School Network. The Idaho Public Charter School Commission is a state-level chartering agency.[18][19]

    Innovation[edit]

    See also: Charter school innovation indicators and High-performing charter schools

    Charter school proponents argue that charter schools have the freedom to adopt more innovative practices, which in turn lead to improved academic performance. To get a sense of the level of innovation occurring in charter schools, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools surveyed charter schools across the country on the various innovative education practices they employed. In Idaho, an average of 31 percent of charter schools reported using innovative practices in the 2011-2012 school year. The table below displays the prevalence of a variety of innovative practices in Idaho as a percentage of all charter schools in the state. The figures are compared with those in surrounding states.[20]

    Charter schools with innovative practices, in percents (2011-2012)
    State Extended day Extended year Year-round calendar Independent study School-to-work Higher education courses Average
    Idaho 44% 22% 6% 33% 22% 56% 31%
    Montana No charter school law
    Oregon 26% 8% 2% 34% 12% 32% 19%
    Washington No data available
    Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014

    Ballot measures and legislation[edit]

    Ballot measures[edit]

    See also: School choice on the ballot and List of Idaho ballot measures

    Ballotpedia has tracked no statewide ballot measures relating to school choice in Idaho.

    Legislation[edit]

    The following is a list of recent charter school bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Idaho state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

    Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

    Recent news[edit]

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Idaho charter school. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    Charter schools in Idaho - Google News

    See also[edit]

    School Board badge.png

    External links[edit]

    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ Public School Review, "What is a Charter School?" accessed October 2, 2014
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 National Conference of State Legislatures, "Charter School Finance," accessed October 9, 2014
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    4. ↑ Center for Research on Education Outcomes, "National Charter School Study," accessed October 9, 2014
    5. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Total Number of Students," accessed October 9, 2014
    6. ↑ Idaho State Department of Education, "Idaho Charter Schools," accessed November 17, 2014
    7. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "A Closer Look at the Charter School Movement," February 3, 2016
    8. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 203.70. Percentage distribution of enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by race/ethnicity and state or jurisdiction: Fall 2003 and fall 2013," accessed June 7, 2016
    9. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Charter Public School Movement: A State-by-State Analysis," March 2016
    10. ↑ National Association of Charter School Authorizers, "Types of Authorizers," accessed June 6, 2016
    11. ↑ Idaho State Department of Education, "Idaho Charter Schools, Frequently Asked Questions," accessed November 17, 2014
    12. ↑ Idaho ED News, "12 Things About Idaho Charter Schools," September 17, 2013
    13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Education Commission of the States, "Charter Schools Update 2014 - State Profile - Idaho," June 2014
    14. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Measuring Up To The Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws," January 2016
    15. ↑ The New York Review of Books, "The Myth of Charter Schools," November 11, 2010
    16. ↑ University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands," accessed October 22, 2014
    17. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014
    18. ↑ Idaho Charter School Network, "Home page," accessed November 17, 2014
    19. ↑ Idaho Public Charter School Commission, "Home page," accessed November 17, 2014
    20. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014
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