Wisconsin’s latest charter school catch much smaller than previous years – Education

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin is getting millions of dollars from the federal government to grow charter schools in the state, but the 2024 revenue is tens of millions of dollars less than in the past.

The Department of Public Instruction this week announced an $11.4 million grant to open or expand charter schools in the state.

“The program provides awards for three purposes: planning and implementation grants for charter schools opening in the fall of 2025, implementation grants for charter schools that have recently opened or will open in 2024, and grants to support the expansion of existing high-quality charter schools,” DPI said in a statement. “The state’s program prioritizes high-quality schools that serve educationally underserved populations.”

Quinton Klabon, senior research director at the Institute for Reforming Government, said it’s important that DPI supports charter schools in Wisconsin.

“Charter schools are important for several reasons. First, as school districts struggle with declining enrollment, offering specialized options can attract and retain students. Second, the gold standard CREDO study showed that charter schools deliver better student outcomes compared to their peers,” Klabon told The Center Square. “However, Wisconsin’s charter schools are in the middle of the pack nationally, just like our traditional public schools.”

Klabon said there is still much room for improvement at Wisconsin’s charter schools.

But that will be a bit more difficult with this latest round of federal funding, because there is much less of it.

“This year, only 12 schools received a total of $11.4 million due to lower funding,” Klabon explained. “In 2017, we won $95 million. In 2023, we only won $58 million.”

Klabon said the Biden administration “is not moving full steam ahead in Washington, hence the lower funding.”

Still, Klabon said there are some exciting opportunities for charters in Wisconsin under this round of federal funding.

“Appleton Area School District gets Hmong American Immersion School, the second of its kind in Wisconsin. A third of Appleton’s schools are charter schools, which is one reason their results are so impressive. Students can attend the specialized school that best suits them, including Spanish immersion, Montessori, manufacturing, classical, environmental, African culture, art and engineering,” Klabon said. “Chippewa Falls will soon have a traditional school, a growing trend in private and charter schools in Wisconsin.”

Klabon said the next step is to build even more support for full support for charter schools in Wisconsin.

“We need more student-centered entrepreneurs and funders committed to building great new schools. We need to find ways, including through the state budget, to expand our top-performing charter schools so more kids can get a great education,” Klabon explained. “We need our federal lawmakers to protect and expand federal charter school grants in future budgets to support new and growing schools. And we need the universities and school districts that created these charter schools to hold them to a high standard and give them the tools to succeed.”