For the first time ever in Texas, charter schools will begin receiving state funding for leasing and maintain their properties and facilities,reports The Texas Tribune.
The news has charter advocates thrilled, but public school advocates are fuming. These critics note that the idea will only serve to further drain the already limited pool of money set aside for public schools. Traditional public schools have a far larger population than charter schools, they point out.
Until now, while charter schools received the same average per-student funding as traditional school districts, these schools have used that money for both instruction and facilities. Charter schools operate independently of the local school system, and in most cases are privately owned. Some charter schools are run by for-profit companies.