Almost every public school district in Region One has lost students to charter schools, resulting in a regionwide estimated revenue loss of $547,964,537 in the 2024-2025 school year alone.
A public school district can’t simply cut costs dollar-for-dollar to the loss in revenue when a student transfers to a charter school because of fixed costs such as insurance, maintenance, and transportation. Instead, public school districts must cut expenses – often non-mandated programs and services. As a result, unlimited charter school expansion results in lost opportunities for students who choose to attend their public school district.