Archived - Why Charter Schools Are Founded and What Barriers They Encounter - What Obstacles and Implementation Problems Do Charter Schools Encounter? (continued)

Archived Information

A Study of Charter Schools: First Year Report - May 1997

Chapter IV

What Obstacles and Implementation Problems Do Charter Schools Encounter? (continued)

Resource Limitations

The data indicate that although issues of resource limitations plague both types of charter schools, greater percentages of newly created than of pre-existing schools have been troubled by insufficient start-up funds and inadequate facilities. For example, although some newly created schools are located in district-owned space, many are located in non-traditional spaces. A few schools have taken innovative or creative steps to resolve their facilities problems. For example, one school leases space in multiple sites in shopping malls scattered throughout the district, at a steep discount relative to prevailing rents. Others are located in leased commercial space or previously-closed private or parochial schools. Some are housed in temporary structures.

Roughly the same percentages of newly created and pre-existing charter schools have been hampered by a lack of planning time and inadequate operating funds. The fieldwork suggests that pre-existing schools, for example, often have trouble finding time to plan amidst the press of day-to-day school operations, and discover that assembling staff, parents, and community members for joint planning can be a real challenge due to conflicting work schedules and time preferences. Developers of newly created schools, on the other hand, often need extensive amounts of planning time because they are starting "from scratch."

Political Resistance

The second most common set of barriers are political in nature. Conflict with employee unions and obstacles stemming from collective bargaining agreements do not appear to be widespread problems, but they are more common in pre-existing schools that have maintained strong ties to the district. Pre-existing schools cited existing bargaining agreements as a difficult barrier more often than newly created schools (22 percent versus seven percent). Several of the schools in our field visit sample encountered resistance from local employee unions. One pre-existing elementary school, for example, sought to gain control over staff selection matters but ran into significant resistance from the district teachers' association.

Many other schools, by contrast, have encountered little in the way of resistance from unions. Newly created schools in particular often have little interaction with existing unions and often are not subject to the terms of existing bargaining agreements, though staff at some of these schools are employees of the sponsor district and are subject to terms of such existing agreements.

Conflicts with local district staff, local boards, and state boards or departments of education are also not common, but pre-existing schools cited these as difficult barriers more often than did newly created schools. For example, 33 percent of pre-existing schools cited state or local board opposition as a difficult barrier, while 19 percent of newly created schools cited it.

Relationships with local school districts and sponsors vary widely. In several of the field visit sites, the local district board or superintendent played a strong role in initiating and supporting the development of the school. In one such case, the charter school serves as a research and development site for the district. In another case, the district superintendent encouraged staff to develop a charter school. After two years of operation, the school's leadership is seeking to increase its capacity in order to accommodate a growing waiting list, but the superintendent has resisted the charter school's efforts to expand further into a district-owned space. In other cases, the local district staff and/or board were highly resistant and the charter developers often were engaged in intensive or hostile discussions and negotiations. In some of these cases, the relationship between the school and the district has remained sour, while in others such differences have been surmounted over time. Newly created schools were slightly (though not significantly) more likely (21 versus 16 percent) to cite internal conflicts as a barrier than pre-existing schools. Such conflicts can be nearly crippling in some schools and have led to significant turnover among staff, students, parents, and board members.

Regulatory Barriers

Regulatory barriers are encountered by small percentages of charter schools, whether the schools are newly created or pre-existing. These included health and safety requirements, accountability requirements, problems in recruiting or hiring staff, federal laws and regulations, community opposition, and barriers relating to teacher certification. The survey data indicate that state regulations, accountability requirements, and teacher certification requirements are somewhat more likely to affect pre-existing schools, whereas health and safety requirements, along with community opposition, are somewhat more likely to affect newly created schools.

Although the field team did not observe many schools that cited regulatory barriers, in a few fieldwork sites these problems were significant. Some newly created schools, for example, have found it difficult to recruit highly experienced staff, while others had many staff applicants and felt that they were able to choose especially high-quality candidates. Others have found that district- or state-mandated assessment instruments or tests are not aligned with their schools' instructional objectives, so they fear that the assessment data will reflect poorly on their schools.

Barriers and the States

Differences across states in charter laws, labor relations, financing systems, and state educational policies undoubtedly affect the barriers that schools experience. We could not investigate this issue during year one, except in the most preliminary way. Exhibit 26 shows the percentage of schools in each state that had difficulty with each barrier. In the states with few charter schools, the percentages can be misleading. Nonetheless, the table is provocative. What is the relationship between Arizona's charter law and the high percentage of schools in the state that report a lack of start up funds, or the smaller percentage reporting a lack of planning time? Why are these results different for California and Colorado but not for Massachusetts? We can suggest tentative answers to these and many other questions stimulated by the table. Next year, more states will have more operational charter schools to examine, so answers then can be given with greater confidence. In addition, the Study will complete a state-by-state analysis of charter legislation and will begin more in-depth analysis of the way states affect local practices in the five states chosen for the first cohort of intensive charter school field visits and intensive data collection (including the collection of student achievement data).

Exhibit 26 -- Barriers to Implementing Charter Schools by State

Barriers Percentage of schools reporting barriers are difficult or very difficult

All sites
CA
AZ
MI
CO
MN
MA
WI
NM
GA⁵⁷
HI⁵⁷

Total Number of schools 225 83 38 38 22 17 13 5 4 3 2

Number of newly created 126 41 24 16 19 14 11 2 - - -

Number of pre-existing 99 42 14 22 3 3 2 3 4 3 2

Lack of start-up funds 59 49 73 61 55 77 77 40 25 67 100

Lack of planning time 42 44 24 40 59 53 4 20 50 67 50

Inadequate operating funds 38 37 41 24 41 71 31 - 25 33 50

Inadequate facilities 35 31 35 39 50 47 23 40 25 - -

State or local board opposition 25 21 30 18 24 24 31 - 50 67 100

State resistance/regulations 19 14 19 30 - 24 - 60 - - 100

Internal conflicts 19 15 17 9 43 24 23 40 25 33 -

District resistance/regulations 18 23 8 6 10 29 25 20 50 67 100

Union/unit resistance 15 25 3 9 5 12 33 40 - - 50

Bargaining agreements 13 27 3 6 5 - - 40 - - 100

Hiring staff 12 11 5 12 5 18 15 20 - 33 100

Health/safety regulations 12 5 16 12 10 18 8 - - - -

Accountability requirements 9 7 19 16 5 - - - 25 - -

Federal regulations 6 1 14 - 14 18 - - - - -

Community opposition 5 1 8 3 5 6 8 20 - 33 -

Teacher certification requirements 4 3 - 6 - 6 8 20 25 - -

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[What Obstacles and Implementation Problems Do Charter Schools Encounter? (part 1)]

[Summary]

Barriers	Percentage of schools reporting barriers are difficult or very difficult
Barriers	All sites	CA	AZ	MI	CO	MN	MA	WI	NM	GA⁵⁷	HI⁵⁷
Total Number of schools	225	83	38	38	22	17	13	5	4	3	2
Number of newly created	126	41	24	16	19	14	11	2	-	-	-
Number of pre-existing	99	42	14	22	3	3	2	3	4	3	2
Lack of start-up funds	59	49	73	61	55	77	77	40	25	67	100
Lack of planning time	42	44	24	40	59	53	4	20	50	67	50
Inadequate operating funds	38	37	41	24	41	71	31	-	25	33	50
Inadequate facilities	35	31	35	39	50	47	23	40	25	-	-
State or local board opposition	25	21	30	18	24	24	31	-	50	67	100
State resistance/regulations	19	14	19	30	-	24	-	60	-	-	100
Internal conflicts	19	15	17	9	43	24	23	40	25	33	-
District resistance/regulations	18	23	8	6	10	29	25	20	50	67	100
Union/unit resistance	15	25	3	9	5	12	33	40	-	-	50
Bargaining agreements	13	27	3	6	5	-	-	40	-	-	100
Hiring staff	12	11	5	12	5	18	15	20	-	33	100
Health/safety regulations	12	5	16	12	10	18	8	-	-	-	-
Accountability requirements	9	7	19	16	5	-	-	-	25	-	-
Federal regulations	6	1	14	-	14	18	-	-	-	-	-
Community opposition	5	1	8	3	5	6	8	20	-	33	-
Teacher certification requirements	4	3	-	6	-	6	8	20	25	-	-