Arizona's 475 charter schools - like their district cousins - have eyes on the state Capitol and what may happen to education funding in Arizona.
Unlike their district counterparts though, the charter schools don't have access to lines of credit through the state to get them through the next few weeks.
"The schools are scared. They're panicked," said Stephanie Grisham, director of communications for the Arizona Charter Schools Association. "The districts operate in a different year. This is current year. It's a really big deal."
Charter schools got their last payment from the state on June 15, but it's unclear if they'll get a July 15 payment. That's because Gov. Jan Brewer put a line-item veto on the education budget passed by lawmakers last week. Without a 2009-2010 fiscal year education budget in place, no more money can go out to schools.
District schools received a $600 million payment last week that was due to them from the 2008-2009 fiscal year after the state rolled that money over to help with cash flow. District schools are also owed a payment - about $330 million - on July 15 that may be delayed without a budget.
Unlike school districts, charter schools receive funding based on current-year enrollment figures. If charter schools lose kids to district, private or even other charter schools, they lose dollars in the current school year. District schools may lose enrollment, but it won't have a big impact on the budget until the following year, allowing school leaders to plan.
With the state grappling with a more than $3.3 billion budget shortfall, all public schools - district and charter - face budget cuts.
The proposal passed by the Legislature cut $1.5 million in funding to Arizona's 475 charter schools. But Brewer's veto put any planning back at the ground level.
"Now we don't know where we are," Grisham said.
Charter schools serve about 100,000 of the 1 million children in public schools in Arizona...
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