Funded: Charters

A Detailed Look at Each State's Charter School Funding Policies

Below, see summaries of the state’s education funding policy in each issue area. Click the Expand icon next to any summary to see more detail, if available, about that state’s policy regarding that issue area. Click the Citation icon

next to any summary to see the sources of the information regarding that issue area.

	New York
Funding Basics
Authorizer	Charter funding policies and reporting practices within each state may vary depending on the entity that authorized the charter school. Charter schools in New York may be authorized by local school districts, the Board of Regents of the New York State Department of Education, and other entities such as the State University of New York or the chancellor of a city school district in a city of over one million. References: “Charter Schools: What organizations may authorize charter schools, and is there a statewide authorizing body?” Education Commission of the States, 50-State Comparison, January 2018. http://ecs.force.com/mbdata/mbquestNB2C?rep=CS1708
Funding Formula	Funding for charter schools in New York is calculated based on local school district expenditures. Charter schools receive a sum of funding for each student that is based on approved operating expenditures in the student’s district of residence. A district’s approved operating expenditures reflects the day-to-day cost of operating the school and excludes capital outlay and debt service for building construction, transportation costs, and certain program-specific allocations. Charter schools also receive a supplemental amount for each student, as determined by the state legislature. References: “2018-2019 Definition of Charter School Basic Tuition and Supplemental Basic Tuition,” New York State Department of Education, November 8, 2018, accessed January 21, 2019, https://stateaid.nysed.gov/charter/html_docs/charter_1819_def.htm New York State Education Department, 2017-18 State Aid Handbook, (Albany, NY: New York State Education Department, 2017), https://stateaid.nysed.gov/publications/handbooks/handbook_2017.pdf NY Educ. Law § 2856 (Lexis 2019)
Funding Distribution
Funding Distribution	Charter schools in New York receive all funding through local school districts. School districts where resident students attend charter schools pay a per student amount to the charters and are reimbursed by the state. References: NY Educ. Law § 2856 (Lexis 2019) pers. comm. New York State Education Department, email, October 10, 2018.
Withholdings	State law in New York does not specify that a share of charter funding is withheld. References: pers. comm. New York State Education Department, email, October 10, 2018.
Local Taxes	All charter schools in New York receive a share of local tax revenue. Charter schools are funded based on local school district expenditures, including funding raised through local taxes. References: NY Educ. Law § 2856 (Lexis 2019) pers. comm. New York State Education Department, email, October 10, 2018.
Data and Reporting
Legal Status	Charter schools in New York constitute their own local education agencies. References: pers. comm. New York State Education Department, email, October 10, 2018.
Student Count	Charter school students in New York are counted as students of the school district(s) where the students reside for most state reporting purposes. Charter students are counted as students of the district(s) where they reside for most purposes, but charter school students are counted as students of the district where the charter is located for allocation of some program-specific allocations. References: pers. comm. New York State Education Department, email, October 18, 2018
Funding	State funding for charter schools in New York is reported separately from state funding for any district. References: pers. comm. New York State Education Department, email, October 23, 2018.
Expenditures	Charter school expenditures in New York are reported separately from expenditures of any school district. References: pers. comm. New York State Education Department, email, October 18, 2018. Click here for New York's traditional district funding information.