Charter School Funding

What is a Charter School?

Charter schools are public schools operating under a “charter” – essentially a contract between the school and its authorizing agency (University of St. Thomas) providing the school with significant operational autonomy in exchange for performance. The autonomy granted under the charter agreement allows the school considerable decision-making authority over key matters of curriculum, personnel, and budget. 

The state statutes enable charter schools to be unique but they also share a few common features that derive from being a public school: Charter schools must be non-discriminatory in admissions, serve all students including those with disabilities, and partake in their state's testing and accountability systems. 

In March 2018, TCGIS parents, school board members and administrators went to the MN State Capitol to promote equality in public school funding for charter schools.  This lack of parity in funding is key to our ability to pay teachers more.  They met with Rep. Lesch, who lives by TCGIS, and Sen. Marty - pictured here.  Both Lesch and Marty are very supportive and asked good questions.  There is a financial audit being done by Senator Nelson to gain transparency and understanding behind the finances of public school funding.   
Please reach out to your own Minnesota elected officials to ask for their support in making charter school funding equal to traditional public school funding. 
​Contact Dianne Bell if you’d like talking points!

How Are Charter Schools Funded?

Charter schools receive public dollars on a per pupil basis but must secure funds to cover startup and other costs not faced by traditional schools. Please watch the following slideshows if you want to understand charter school finance in general and TCGIS finance in particular.

​The Table of Contents (right) will help you navigate the slideshow.

If your are interested in more information on Charter Schools in Minnesota, please follow this link to the National Charter School Resource Center ​