1. Colorado Charter Schools Capital Finance Study: Challenges and Opportunities for the Future.
- Author
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Colorado State Dept. of Education, Denver., Caldwell, Russell B., and Arrington, Barry
- Abstract
This report discusses strategies that will help charter schools finance their facilities needs. It outlines the history of the Colorado Charter Schools Act, focusing on the contracting process, on dispute resolution and appeals, on renewal, on employee options, and on revenue allocation. The document also examines issues surrounding school operations under the Charter Schools Act. It looks at financing guidelines, types of facilities in use by Colorado charter schools, the quality of charter-school facilities, how schools acquired their facilities, and tax-exempt bond financing. Some of the roadblocks to successful charter-school capital finance involve revenue streams, limited access to tax-exempt financing, uncertainty regarding public school status, perceptions of risk, and a scarcity of resources. The document provides a general overview of the finance mechanisms used by public schools to obtain capital for their facilities needs, as well as the potential availability of these mechanisms for charter school use, such as conduit financing, loan pools, and credit enhancement. The report closes by making 15 policy recommendations that policymakers should consider as they deal with charter schools' facilities concerns. Three appendices reproduce the Colorado Charter Schools Act and the names and addresses of the 64 charter schools operating in the 1999-2000 school year. (RJM)
- Published
- 2000