He says Superintendent Richard Ross had planned on appointing three people to review all the department of education’s contracts with charter schools. It aims to bridge what supporters call a funding gap between charter schools and traditional public schools, which receive local property tax revenue for that type of project. Jerry Tillman, said the oversight change is needed because DPI is hostile toward charter schools.
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The same eligibility rules apply for state loans and grant programs, so no school may take a loan totaling more than $5 million. One proposed school, global Academy of Montachusett Charter School would serve students in grades K-12 in the Wachusett Regional, Fitchburg, Leominster, Clinton and North Middlesex Regional districts.
Be in their first or second year of operation.
Be located in an “innovation network”, such a one run by Indianapolis Public Schools. Charter schools that didn’t receive letter grades, perhaps because they had very small enrollments, also are eligible for the funds.
If we are serious about our credibility, the board, not you, must engage an independent firm to investigate you and the Department of Education to determine compliance with state and federal laws, rules and procedures, the members wrote.
The state Office of Charter Schools is a subdivision of the Department of Public Instruction and the chair of the Advisory Board is appointed by the governor. The Indiana General Assembly provided that a maximum of $50 million may be loaned to public charter schools from the Common School Fund. “The state auditor will also be looking at this matter as part of his regular review of our agency and we welcome his review”.
That demand could bolster support for a potential ballot question from pro-charter groups that would raise the state’s cap on charter schools. The new state budget includes language that accounts for Ritz and Kenley’s concerns.
Five of the 32 are rated a D, but could still earn a grant since they are ranked better than the nearest traditional public school.
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“I am pleased to see such a wide range of applications from across the Commonwealth”, Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester said in a statement.
