Focus Report, Volume 87, Number 4, November 2021 Page: FRONT COVER
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November 1, 2021 No. 87-4
Legislative history 2
Charter authorization process 3
Charter school funding 5
rr Charters grow through
expansion amendments 6
Municipal ordinances 7
Charter school operations 8
Texas charter schools turn 25
In the 1990s, Texas was part of the first wave of states to create a system of publicly funded, privately
operated charter schools as an alternative to traditional school districts. Public charter schools now operate
in most states and the District of Columbia. Advocates promoted charter schools nationally as a way to
close gaps in student achievement through alternative governance, smaller learning communities, and a
focus on academics rather than regulatory compliance. The state authorized the first open-enrollment
charters in 1996, and they began serving students in 1997.
Over the past 10 years, charter school enrollment in Texas has increased an average of 12 percent
annually, according to state enrollment data. Supporters of expanding charter schools say they provide
critical public school choice and educational opportunity for families seeking an alternative to
underperforming local district schools. Critics of expanding charter schools say they harm traditional
school systems by diverting financial resources to new charter schools that often perform at about the
same levels as comparable district schools.
In Texas, most charter schools are authorized by the state and operated by nonprofit entities
under performance contracts with the Texas Education Agency. These contracts specify the grades and
geographic region a charter school may serve, the school's leadership team and curriculum, and its goals
for student success. Charter schools are exempt from certain requirements under the Texas Education
Code so that they can have more flexibility in staffing and operations. State law caps the number of
charters that may be granted but does not limit the total number of campuses that a holder of a charter
may operate.
Students may apply to charter schools serving the geographic area where they live and may attend
charter schools at no cost. If applications exceed available slots, most schools hold a lottery to determine
which students to admit. In the 2020-2021 school year, 184 charter operators ran 835 charter campuses
in Texas, mostly in urban areas, according to a TEA report. Those charter schools served about 366,000
students, 6.8 percent of all public school students.
Since the creation of charter schools, the Legislature has revised how they are authorized and held
accountable for their academic performance and use of state funds. This report examines the 25-year
history of charter schools in Texas and policy proposals related to their growth and operations.
H RO HOUSE RESEARCH ORGANIZATION Texas House ofRepresentatives * 87th Legislature
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Texas. Legislature. House of Representatives. Research Organization. Focus Report, Volume 87, Number 4, November 2021, periodical, November 1, 2021; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1507625/m1/1/: accessed June 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.