TRACING THE PATH OF CHARTER SCHOOL FACILITIES

TRACING THE PATH OF CHARTER SCHOOL FACILITIES WITH THE LAWMAKER WHO PASSED THE NATION’S FIRST CHARTER SCHOOL LAW

When former Minnesota State Senator Ember Reichgott Junge traveled the tumultuous journey to pass the first charter school law in the nation on June 4, 1991, the issue of charter school facilities was rarely mentioned in any debate. “Legislators assumed that charter schools would have access to existing school facilities or other buildings,” she recalled. But, of course, that has not been the case.

It was clear that charter schools needed financing and other funding to build the kind of facilities their students deserve. Despite all the advances in the chartering facilities arena over 30 years, studies show facilities to still be the greatest barrier to establishing and expanding charter schools. Read more about the history of public charter school facility funding, and current efforts to improve the sector.

Find Reichgott Junge and Michelle Prosperi’s article, exclusive to School Improvement Partnership, here:

‍