Proposition 208, if passed, is expected to raise $940 million per year for Arizona public schools, including charters. Through KJZZ’s Q&AZ project, a listener asks why charter schools would be eligible for some of this revenue?
The answer: Although privately operated, charter schools are public schools, said Matthew Benson, a spokesman for the Arizona Charter Schools Association.
“They are funded with public dollars and by law have to be open to every student provided they have space available,” he said, adding that there are over 500 charter schools in Arizona serving 213,000 students.
The association has not taken a position on Prop. 208, but Benson said charter schools, like district schools, have argued they need more financial support and face some of the same financial challenges.
The way the two types of schools are funded are slightly different.
Charter schools receive more in state-allocated per-pupil funding. In 2019, charters received on average $7,238 per student, $1,288 more than districts, according to a July report by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. But school districts can raise additional funds through other sources such as bonds and overrides, something charters can’t do, Benson said. When the committee added up all reported funding sources, it found that districts received $10,680 per pupil, while charter schools received $9,407.
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