The chief executive officer of a growing charter school with campuses in Austin testified Tuesday that a lack of state funding for buildings is forcing him to make stark decisions as his enrollment swells.
Matt Abbott, CEO of Wayside Schools, said charter schools are cropping up in spaces not intended to be schools, including former churches and storefronts. Unlike traditional public schools, charters get no facilities funding from the state and can’t tax property.
“Charter schools weigh in at lawsuit trial”, Maria Luisa Cesar, San Antonio Express-News, January 29, 2013. My earlier post about facilities funding.
The Texas Charter Schools Association is also challenging the cap on the number of charters; here is an earlier post on the charter cap.
More coverage of the school finance trial:
- “Testimony ends in lawsuit over Texas school funding”, Will Weissert (AP), Fort Worth Star-Telegram, January 30, 2013.
- “Charter schools say their smaller share of state aid is unconstitutional”, Kate Alexander, Austin American-Statesman, January 28, 2013.
- “School finance trial gives stage to pro-voucher witness”, Lindsay Kastner, San Antonio Express-News, January 22, 2013.
- “Expert: government mandates make schools inefficient”, Lindsay Kastner, San Antonio Express-News, January 15, 2013.