JACKSON, MISS– The legislative Joint Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) has released recommendations made to state lawmakers regarding funding of charter schools and the Charter School Authorizer board.
PEER evaluated the sufficiency of funding for charter schools and the state formula for authorizer funding.
The Mississippi Charter School Advisory Board currently receives three percent of annual revenue based on per-pupil funding from state and local sources.
Because there are only three charter schools in the state, PEER stated that additional appropriations from the legislature will have to happen.
PEER turned attention to the national standard as a suggested way for Mississippi to model the funding.
“.. the National Association of Charter School Authorizers states that when authorizers are a state entity (as is the case in Mississippi) they are most often funded through a state appropriation.”
This would subject the Advisory Board to annual appropriations, but it would also create security for the board to not be underfunded due to the low revenue of the current charter schools.
To boost accountability, the report suggested that the Legislature should consider providing for the board’s operations by enacting a separate appropriation specifically for its operation, or to add it as a line item under IHL and continue support funding through that organization.
Read the full report and the recommendations here.
