After rapid rise, growth of charter school slows
After a flurry of growth over several years, the pace of new charter schools opening in Oklahoma has slowed.
From 2011 to 2015, 27 traditional charter schools (non virtual) opened in the state, nearly all located in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Last year, just one charter school opened and two are slated to open this school year.
But while there are potential reasons for the recent slowdown, including funding challenges and access to facilities, there are plans for several more charter schools to open in the coming years as this form of education is likely to continue transforming the state’s public school landscape.
“I think you have seen some communities become saturated with (charter schools) to a point where it might be a little harder to open new ones,” said Chris Brewster, superintendent of Santa Fe South Schools, a K-12 charter with multiple locations in south Oklahoma City.
Northeast Oklahoma City is a community where charter schools have opened in an attempt to offer alternatives to some low-performing neighborhood schools.
But Brewster said the community is an example of where charter growth can reach a limit as the population declines.
In south Oklahoma City, Brewster’s charter school has grown at a rapid pace to keep up with growing populations.
“In the southside I don’t think we have caught up to the demand yet,” Brewster said.
Santa Fe South Schools is expected to grow by nearly 1,000 students this year and opened a new high school building on the grounds of the former Crossroads Mall. The charter system has also opened a new elementary school.
KIPP Oklahoma City, which operates a charter middle school in northeast Oklahoma City, also opened a southside charter school this year.
But the enrollment growth currently experienced by some south Oklahoma City charter schools is not in line with statewide trends.
Enrollment in traditional charter schools increased by nearly 10 percent in 2014, and by more than 17 percent in 2015. But, last year, Oklahoma charters posted just a 3.8 percent growth rate.
Charters are public schools that benefit from some increased autonomy, but are overseen by an authorizer, which is often times the local school district.
Funding and facilities
Oklahoma’s low per student funding, which charters heavily rely on, is one deterrent to growth, Brewster said.
“If you aren’t funding regular (public) schools you aren’t funding school choice,” Brewster said. “The irony is we have a Legislature that would say they are pro school choice, such as charters. But they aren’t funding public schools, and you can’t fund school choice without strong public education funding.”
The low per student rate compared to many other states has likely discouraged some national charter school organizations from setting up shop in Oklahoma.
Funding challenges also make it a struggle for prospective charter schools to find a facility, especially for small local charter operators.
Sen. Gary Stanislawski, R-Tulsa, authored a bill this year that would have clarified the rights of charter schools to access school bond financing.
“Finding or building a facility is a big challenge for charter schools,” Stanislawski said. “If charters can access school bond dollars they can benefit greatly.”
Stanislawski said the recent slowdown in new charters could just be a natural cycle of growth.
But, “I’m hoping the slowdown is just because people are taking their time in producing a good charter school that is helping kids,” Stanislawski said. “We may not be seeing growth like in other states ... because we are not seeing these national charter companies coming in and trying to get our state money.”
While Stanislawski’s bill was never enacted, the state Legislature has backed charter school growth in recent years, including a law change in 2015 that allowed charters to open beyond Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Since the law change, several groups have moved forward on “rural” charter school plans in places like Seminole, Norman and Ardmore, which will help push the state’s traditional charter school enrollment higher in the coming years.
Oklahoma’s charter school landscape has also been transformed by the growth in virtual charter schools, which allow students to complete courses online at home.
Around 2,500 students attended a virtual charter school in 2012. Today, virtual enrollment has quadrupled to nearly the same enrollment total of brick and mortar charter school.
While Oklahoma’s charter school enrollment has exploded over the past several years – nearly 20,000 between virtual and traditional – it still accounts for a small portion of the state’s total public school enrollment of 693,710, based on last year’s count.
“There’s no doubt there is demand in many places,” Brewster said about charter schools in Oklahoma.
“We’ve grown a lot since charters came to Oklahoma (in 1999), and I expect more growth.”