1

An Ana|ys|s of Charter Schoo| I|sca| Impact |n 8r|dgeport

Iune 2014

LkLCU1IVL SUMMAk
Accordlng Lo ConnecLlcuL law,
1
ConnecLlcuL's charLer schools are pub||c, non-prof|t schoo|s LhaL are free of charge and
open Lo all sLudenLs, regardless of race, wealLh or Zl code. ConnecLlcuL's charLer schools offer some of Lhe sLaLe's
hlghesL quallLy educaLlonal opLlons, especlally for sLudenLs ln sLruggllng dlsLrlcLs. 1here are currenLly 18 charLer schools
ln ConnecLlcuL, educaLlng over 7,096 sLudenLs across 13 clLles. ln 8rldgeporL, 1,774 sLudenLs aLLend four charLer
schools.
2,3
1he SLaLe 8oard of LducaLlon has approved slx addlLlonal charLer schools ln four clLles Lo open over Lhe nexL
Lwo years. 1wo of Lhese newly approved schools wlll open ln 8rldgeporL: CreaL Caks 8rldgeporL (openlng ln lall 2014)
and CaplLal rep. Parbor (openlng ln lall 2013).

1hls reporL examlnes Lhe clalm LhaL openlng new publlc charLer schools ln 8rldgeporL would draln flnanclal resources
from Lhe dlsLrlcL's educaLlon budgeL. 8y analyzlng Lhe flscal, legal, and performance daLa on 8rldgeporL and sLaLe
fundlng, we flnd Lhese clalms Lo be false. uaLa show LhaL over the next two years, the tota| |ncrease |n add|t|ona| state
per pup|| a|d for charter schoo|s to educate students |n 8r|dgeport |s 54S m||||on, p|us approx|mate|y 533 m||||on |n per
pup|| sav|ngs. 1hese flndlngs suggesL LhaL noL only can charLer schools can provlde a hlgh-quallLy educaLlon Lo Lhe
8rldgeporL sLudenLs who need lL mosL, buL also LhaL Lhese schools can save Lhe school dlsLrlcL mllllons of dollars LhaL
could be used Lo furLher lmprove educaLlonal resulLs for chlldren.

Speclflcally, an analysls of sLaLe sLaLuLe, 8rldgeporL ubllc schools performance daLa, and fundlng daLa obLalned from
Lhe SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon shows LhaL:

! State fund|ng for 8r|dgeport ub||c Schoo|s has been |ncreas|ng.
lor Lhe 2013-2014 school year, 8rldgeporL's school dlsLrlcL recelved over $173 mllllon ln fundlng from Lhe sLaLe for
Lhe clLy's schools. 1hls lncludes $18.3 mllllon from sLaLe programs Lo help Lurn around ConnecLlcuL's lowesL
performlng schools and dlsLrlcLs. nexL school year, 8rldgeporL wlll see Lhls sLaLe ald lncreased by anoLher $2 mllllon.
4

! ub||c charter schoo|s are funded separate|y from other pub||c schoo|s.
SLudenLs who aLLend charLer schools ln 8rldgeporL are funded enLlrely by Lhe sLaLe. 1hls money doesn'L come from
Lhe $160 mllllon ln sLaLe LCS fundlng 8rldgeporL geLs each year, buL lnsLead from an addlLlonal, separaLe sLaLe granL.
1he dlsLrlcL does noL conLrlbuLe any funds Lo cover Lhe general educaLlon cosLs for 8rldgeporL chlldren who aLLend
charLers.
3
!"#$ &'#() *+,-.'/0+$ )$1-'($) 2'('3,$ 3+0& #( #--,$,0(#4 567 &,44,0( ('8$ 9'#+ ,( )'/#+#$' )$#$' #,-
30+ (': #(- ;1++'($49 0/'+#$,(. /124,; ;"#+$'+ );"004)<

1
ConnecLlcuL Ceneral SLaLuLes, 10-66aa(1). CharLer schools: ueflnlLlons." 2014. Pyperllnk: hLLp://www.cga.cL.gov/currenL/pub/chap_164.hLm#sec_10-66aa
2
ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. 8lennlal 8eporL on Lhe CperaLlon of CharLer Schools ln ConnecLlcuL." 2014. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.sde.cL.gov/sde/llb/sde/pdf/equlLy/charLer/reporL_on_Lhe_operaLlon_of_charLer_schools.pdf
3
ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. 2013-2014 ubllc ulsLrlcL LnrollmenL by 8ace and Cender." 2014. Pyperllnk: hLLp://www.sde.cL.gov/sde/cwp/vlew.asp?a=2738&q=334898
1he $18.3 mllllon for 2013-2104 S? ln addlLlonal sLaLe ald goes Lowards sLaLe programs for Lhe lowesL-performlng dlsLrlcLs: Alllance ulsLrlcL, Commlssloner's neLwork, rlorlLy School ulsLrlcL.
4
ConnecLlcuL Cfflce of llscal Analysls. 1own CranLs uashboard" 2014. Pyperllnk: hLLp://www.cga.cL.gov/ofa/dashboard1.asp
3
ConnecLlcuL Ceneral SLaLuLes, 10-66ee(d)(1). CharLer school fundlng. Speclal educaLlon sLudenLs. 1ransporLaLlon. ConLracLs. CooperaLlve arrangemenLs." 2014. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.cga.cL.gov/2014/sup/chap_164.hLm#sec_10-66ee
2


! 8r|dgeport keeps and benef|ts from both sets of money.
Cf Lhe more Lhan $160 mllllon Lhe clLy of 8rldgeporL recelves annually, approxlmaLely $33 mllllon over Lhe nexL Lwo
years ls meanL for sLudenLs who have chosen Lo aLLend publlc charLer schools, lncludlng nearly $3 mllllon for
sLudenLs who would aLLend Lhe Lwo new charLer schools seL Lo open ln 8rldgeporL ln Lhe nexL Lwo years.
8rldgeporL's school dlsLrlcL recelves Lhls LducaLlon CosL Sharlng (LCS) fundlng even Lhough lL ls meanL for sLudenLs
who now aLLend charLer schools, because publlc charLer schools are funded separaLely by Lhe sLaLe.
6

! 8r|dgeport |s |ega||y requ|red to cover spec|a| educat|on and transportat|on costs for a|| of |ts students, no matter
what.
Accordlng Lo sLaLe law, school dlsLrlcLs are tepolteJ to poy speclol eJocotloo ooJ ttoospottotloo costs fot evety
stoJeot who llves wlLhln Lhe dlsLrlcL, even lf Lhey aLLend a prlvaLe school, magneL school, LradlLlonal school or
charLer school. 8uL school dlsLrlcLs can geL relmbursed for Lhose cosLs by Lhe sLaLe.
7,8
! 1housands of k|ds |n 8r|dgeport current|y attend fa|||ng schoo|s.
Less Lhan one ouL of every four 8rldgeporL 3rd graders can read on grade level, Lhe lowesL percenLage ln Lhe sLaLe,
and abouL one ouL of every Lhree 8rldgeporL sLudenLs does noL graduaLe from hlgh school.
9,10
! Charter schoo|s |n are de||ver|ng pos|t|ve resu|ts for 8r|dgeport's ch||dren.
All four charLer schools ln 8rldgeporL ouLperform 8rldgeporL ubllc Schools' by over 10 polnLs, accordlng Lo School
and ulsLrlcL erformance lndex daLa. ln addlLlon, all four charLer schools ln 8rldgeporL ouLperform sLaLe average
performance for Afrlcan Amerlcan sLudenLs, and Lhree ouL of four charLer schools ln 8rldgeporL ouLperform sLaLe
average performance for boLh low-lncome and Plspanlc/LaLlno sLudenLs, accordlng Lo School erformance lndex
daLa.
11
1haL's why 8rldgeporL parenLs are acLlvely pursulng charLers as a quallLy opLlon for Lhelr chlldren. ln Lhe
2011-2012 school year, Lhere were more sLudenLs on charLer school walLlng llsLs ln 8rldgeporL Lhan Lhe number of
sLudenLs enrolled ln 8rldgeporL charLer schools LhaL year.
12




!"')' 3,(-,(.) )"0: $"#$ ;"#+$'+ );"004) #+' (0$ 0(49 # /124,; );"004 )041$,0( $"#$ :,44
-'4,='+ 2'$$'+ +')14$) 30+ >,-)? 21$ #4)0 -'4,='+ #( ';0(0&,; 2'('3,$ $0 $"' ;,$9<




6
ConnecLlcuL Ceneral SLaLuLes, 10-66ee(a)(2). CharLer school fundlng. Speclal educaLlon sLudenLs. 1ransporLaLlon. ConLracLs. CooperaLlve arrangemenLs." 2014. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.cga.cL.gov/2014/sup/chap_164.hLm#sec_10-66ee
7
ConnecLlcuL Ceneral SLaLuLes, 10-66ee(f). CharLer school fundlng. Speclal educaLlon sLudenLs. 1ransporLaLlon. ConLracLs. CooperaLlve arrangemenLs." 2014. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.cga.cL.gov/2014/sup/chap_164.hLm#sec_10-66ee
8
ConnecLlcuL Ceneral SLaLuLes, 10-66ee(d)(3). CharLer school fundlng. Speclal educaLlon sLudenLs. 1ransporLaLlon. ConLracLs. CooperaLlve arrangemenLs." 2014. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.cga.cL.gov/2014/sup/chap_164.hLm#sec_10-66ee
9
ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. ConnecLlcuL MasLery 1esLs." 2013. Pyperllnk: hLLp://soluLlons1.emeLrlc.neL/CM1ubllc/lndex.aspx.
10
ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. ConnecLlcuL lour ?ear CohorL Plgh School CraduaLlon uaLa by ulsLrlcL." 2013. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.sde.cL.gov/sde/cwp/vlew.asp?a=2738&q=334898
11
ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. School & ulsLrlcL erformance 8eporLs 2012-2013." 2013. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.csde.sLaLe.cL.us/publlc/performancereporLs/20122013reporLs.asp
12
ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. 2011-2012 LnrollmenL by 8ace, Cender, & Crade." 2012. Pyperllnk: hLLp://www.sde.cL.gov/sde/cwp/vlew.asp?a=2738&q=334898
3

IN1kCDUC1ICN
ConnecLlcuL's charLer schools are publlc schools LhaL offer some of Lhe sLaLe's hlghesL quallLy educaLlonal opLlons,
especlally for sLudenLs ln sLruggllng dlsLrlcLs. 8y ConnecLlcuL law,
13
ConnecLlcuL's charLer schools are publlc, non-proflL
schools LhaL are free of charge and open Lo all sLudenLs, regardless of race, wealLh or Zl code. SLaLe charLer schools are
approved by Lhe SLaLe 8oard of LducaLlon, and musL perform well Lo sLay open.

1here are currenLly 18 charLer schools ln ConnecLlcuL, educaLlng over 7,096 sLudenLs across 13 clLles. ln 8rldgeporL,
1,774 sLudenLs aLLend four charLer schools.
14,13
8ecenLly, Lhe SLaLe 8oard of LducaLlon approved slx addlLlonal charLer
schools ln four clLles Lo open over Lhe nexL Lwo years. 1wo of Lhese newly approved schools wlll open ln 8rldgeporL:
CreaL Caks 8rldgeporL (openlng ln lall 2014) and CaplLal rep. Parbor (openlng ln lall 2013).

ConnecLlcuL parenLs are acLlvely pursulng charLers as a quallLy opLlon for Lhelr chlldren. 8lghL now, many more sLudenLs
wanL Lo aLLend charLers Lhan can. When Lhere aren'L enough seaLs aL a charLer school Lo serve all sLudenLs who wanL Lo
aLLend, a bllnd loLLery ls held and sLudenLs who do noL geL a seaL aL a charLer Lhrough Lhe loLLery are placed on a walL
llsL. ln Lhe 2012-2013 school year, Lhere were 4,273 chlldren on charLer school walLlng llsLs ln ConnecLlcuL, whlch ls Lwo-
Lhlrds of Lhe sLudenLs enrolled ln charLers LhaL year.
16
ln Lhe 2011-2012 school year, Lhere were more sLudenLs on
charLer school walLlng llsLs ln 8rldgeporL Lhan Lhe number of sLudenLs enrolled ln 8rldgeporL charLer schools LhaL year.
17


1hls reporL analyzes 8rldgeporL and sLaLe level flscal, legal, and performance daLa Lo deLermlne Lhe lmpacL LhaL openlng
new publlc charLer schools ln 8rldgeporL would have on Lhe dlsLrlcL's educaLlon budgeL. Speclflcally, we examlne Lhe
clalms LhaL new publlc charLer schools ln Lhe clLy would draln resources from Lhe clLy's educaLlon budgeL.

ANALSIS
Impact on per pup|| genera| educat|on expend|tures
llrsL, we examlne sLaLe per pupll fundlng laws and daLa for 8rldgeporL clLy schools and for publlc charLer school sLudenLs
Lo deLermlne of new charLers on 8rldgeporL's per pupll general educaLlon expendlLures. 1hls analysls of sLaLe sLaLuLe
and sLaLe daLa shows LhaL over the next two years, the tota| |ncrease |n add|t|ona| state per pup|| a|d for charter
schoo|s to educate students |n 8r|dgeport |s 54S m||||on, p|us approx|mate|y 533 m||||on |n per pup|| sav|ngs based on
Lhe followlng facLs:
" ln 8rldgeporL, as ln any clLy ln our sLaLe, a|| open and approved state charter schoo|s |n 8r|dgeport are funded
ent|re|y by the state, w|th no |oca| per-pup|| contr|but|on from the c|ty. 8rldgeporL charLer schools recelve
money dlrecLly from Lhe sLaLe as a poss-tbtooqb qtoot Lo Lhe Lown aL a raLe of $11,000 per pupll.
18
Speclflcally,
Lhe law sLaLes LhaL:
lot tbe potposes of epoollzotloo olJ qtoots potsooot to sectloo 10-262b, tbe stote sboll poy lo
occotJooce wltb tbls sobsectloo, to tbe towo lo wblcb o stote cbottet scbool ls locoteJ fot eocb stoJeot
eotolleJ lo socb scbool . . . fot tbe flscol yeot eoJloq Iooe J0, 2014, teo tboosooJ flve booJteJ Jollots,
ooJ fot tbe flscol yeot eoJloq Iooe J0, 2015, ooJ eocb flscol yeot tbeteoftet, eleveo tboosooJ Jollots . . .

13
ConnecLlcuL Ceneral SLaLuLes, 10-66aa(1). CharLer schools: ueflnlLlons." 2014. Pyperllnk: hLLp://www.cga.cL.gov/currenL/pub/chap_164.hLm#sec_10-66aa
14
ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. 8lennlal 8eporL on Lhe CperaLlon of CharLer Schools ln ConnecLlcuL." 2014. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.sde.cL.gov/sde/llb/sde/pdf/equlLy/charLer/reporL_on_Lhe_operaLlon_of_charLer_schools.pdf
13
ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. 2013-2014 ubllc ulsLrlcL LnrollmenL by 8ace and Cender." 2014. Pyperllnk: hLLp://www.sde.cL.gov/sde/cwp/vlew.asp?a=2738&q=334898
16
ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. 8lennlal 8eporL on Lhe CperaLlon of CharLer Schools ln ConnecLlcuL." 2014. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.sde.cL.gov/sde/llb/sde/pdf/equlLy/charLer/reporL_on_Lhe_operaLlon_of_charLer_schools.pdf
17
ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. 2011-2012 LnrollmenL by 8ace, Cender, & Crade." 2012. Pyperllnk: hLLp://www.sde.cL.gov/sde/cwp/vlew.asp?a=2738&q=334898
18
ConnecLlcuL Ceneral SLaLuLes, 10-66ee(d)(2). CharLer school fundlng. Speclal educaLlon sLudenLs. 1ransporLaLlon. ConLracLs. CooperaLlve arrangemenLs." 2014. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.cga.cL.gov/2014/sup/chap_164.hLm#sec_10-66ee
4
1be towo sboll poy to tbe flscol ootbotlty fot o stote cbottet scbool tbe pottloo of tbe omooot polJ to tbe
towo potsooot to sobJlvlsloo (1) of tbls sobsectloo otttlbotoble fot stoJeots eotolleJ lo socb stote cbottet
scbool. - cooo. Ceo. 5tot. 10-66ee(J)(1) (2014)

" 8rldgeporL sLudenLs aLLendlng all open and approved charLer schools are funded and counLed separaLely from
local fundlng and enrollmenL for Lhe purposes of Lhe LducaLlon CosL Sharlng lormula LhaL Lhe sLaLe uses Lo fund
LradlLlonal publlc school dlsLrlcLs. Pere, agaln, sLaLe law ls clear:
lot tbe potposes of epoollzotloo olJ ooJet sectloo 10-262b o stoJeot eotolleJ . . . lo o stote cbottet
scbool sboll oot be cooslJeteJ o stoJeot eotolleJ lo tbe scbool Jlsttlct lo wblcb socb stoJeot teslJes. -
cooo. Ceo. 5tot. 10-66ee(o)(2) (2014)

8ased on these |aws and current state fund|ng data, state per pup|| fund|ng for the two new|y approved charter
schoo|s |n 8r|dgeport, Great Caks and Cap|ta| rep narbor w||| br|ng an add|t|ona| 56 m||||on |n new, separate state
a|d to educate the 8r|dgeport ch||dren over the next two schoo| years.
19
1hls lncrease ls ln addlLlon Lo Lhe nearly $20
mllllon 8rldgeporL recelves ln addlLlonal sLaLe ald for exlsLlng sLaLe charLer schools annually.
20
Cver the next two years,
the tota| |ncrease |n add|t|ona| state a|d for charter schoo|s to educate students |n 8r|dgeport |s 54S m||||on.

1ab|e 1. State Charter Iund|ng er Student |n 8r|dgeport for 2014-1S, 201S-16
@ABC DB!AEFC@
ECAB! FBGH
*CIJEAKFC!
DBKI!BL
KCAK MBC*FC
ANIH!IOE
DMBC!AC HDMFFLH
SLaLe CharLer lundlng er upll $11,000 $11,000 $11,000
number of SLudenLs (LsLlmaLe) 100 - 1,774
6P7QR6P7S
1C1AL $1.1 mllllon - $19.3 mllllon
SLaLe CharLer lundlng er upll $11,000 $11,000 $11,000
number of SLudenLs (LsLlmaLe) 200 230 1,774
6P7SR6P7T
1C1AL $2.2 mllllon $2.73 mllllon $19.3 mllllon

GkAND 1C1AL 54S,078,000


Cf the more than 5160 m||||on |n per pup|| Lducat|on Cost Shar|ng fund|ng the c|ty of 8r|dgeport rece|ves annua||y,
over 533 m||||on over the next two years |s meant for students who have chosen to attend pub||c charter schoo|s.
1able 2 below shows LhaL Lhls $33 mllllon lncludes fundlng for sLudenLs who aLLend exlsLlng sLaLe charLer schools as well
as Lhe Lwo new sLaLe charLer schools based on esLlmaLed enrollmenLs.
21
1he 8rldgeporL school dlsLrlcL recelves Lhls LCS
fundlng for sLudenLs who llve ln 8rldgeporL, even Lhough Lhey wlll no longer aLLend 8rldgeporL ubllc Schools and wlll
Lherefore no longer have Lo spend LCS money Lo educaLe Lhese sLudenLs.
22


19
LsLlmaLed enrollmenL for CreaL Caks and CaplLal rep. Parbor as sLaLed ln Lhelr appllcaLlons submlLLed Lo Lhe ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.sde.cL.gov/sde/cwp/vlew.asp?a=2681&q=320438
20
ApproxlmaLlon annual addlLlonal ald for exlsLlng charLers = $11,000 per pupll x 1,774 sLudenLs
number of sLudenLs from: ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. 2013-2014 ubllc ulsLrlcL LnrollmenL by 8ace and Cender." 2014. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.sde.cL.gov/sde/cwp/vlew.asp?a=2738&q=334812
21
ApproxlmaLlon annual LCS savlng for exlsLlng charLers = $8,139 8rldgeporL LCS per pupll x 1,774 sLudenLs
number of sLudenLs from 2013-2014 LnrollmenL by School hLLp://www.sde.cL.gov/sde/cwp/vlew.asp?a=2738&q=334812. LsLlmaLed enrollmenL for CreaL Caks and CaplLal rep. Parbor as
sLaLed ln Lhelr appllcaLlons submlLLed Lo Lhe ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. Pyperllnk: hLLp://www.sde.cL.gov/sde/cwp/vlew.asp?a=2681&q=320438
22
$8,319 LCS per resldenL 8rldgeporL sLudenL for 2013-2014 LCS granL (Source: ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon)
5
1ab|e 2. LCS Iund|ng keta|ned |n 8r|dgeport for Students Who Attend Charter Schoo|s
LAk CA1LGCk
GkLA1 CAkS
8kIDGLCk1
CAI1AL
kL nAk8Ck
LkIS1ING
CnAk1Lk SCnCCLS
8rldgeporL LCS lundlng er upll $8,139 $8,139 $8,139
number of SLudenLs (LsLlmaLe) 100 - 1,774
2014-201S
1C1AL $831,900 - $14.4 mllllon
8rldgeporL LCS lundlng er upll $8,139 $8,139 $8,139
number of SLudenLs (LsLlmaLe) 200 230 1,774
201S-2016
1C1AL $1.6 mllllon $2 mllllon $14.4 mllllon

GkAND 1C1AL 533,3S3,622


n|stor|ca| data on state educat|ona| a|d to the c|ty of 8r|dgeport
Second, we examlne sLaLe educaLlonal ald Lo Lhe clLy of 8rldgeporL over Lhe law few years. Whlle Lhere are separaLe
dlspuLes abouL wheLher Lhls level of fundlng ls sufflclenL, data show that state fund|ng for 8r|dgeport ub||c Schoo|s
has |ncreased s|gn|f|cant|y s|nce 2012, Lhrough LCS fundlng and oLher granLs and fundlng sources. Speclflcally:
" 8rldgeporL's LoLal LCS enLlLlemenL was $164,193,344 for 2013-2014 S?
23

" 8rldgeporL recelved over $30.3 mllllon ln addlLlonal sLaLe ald Lhrough Lhe Commlssloner's neLwork, Alllance
ulsLrlcL, and rlorlLy School ulsLrlcL granL programs ln l? 13 and l? 14.
24

" 8rldgeporL wlll recelve an addlLlonal $2 mllllon lncrease Lo lLs LCS granL from lLs orlglnal l?13 approprlaLlon.
23


Impact of new charters on the spec|a| educat|on and transportat|on costs
1hlrd, we examlne sLaLe sLaLuLe Lo deLermlne Lhe lmpacL of new charLers on Lhe speclal educaLlon and LransporLaLlon
cosLs Lo 8rldgeporL ubllc Schools. er Connect|cut State |aw, any schoo| d|str|ct, |nc|ud|ng 8r|dgeport, |s requ|red to
pay for Spec|a| Lducat|on and transportat|on costs 30+ '='+9 )$1-'($ :"0 4,=') ,( $"' -,)$+,;$ regard|ess of what type of
pub||c schoo| a student attends, trad|t|ona| or state charter. In add|t|on, schoo| d|str|cts can get re|mbursed for these
costs by the state.
26,27


lor LransporLaLlon, ConnecLlcuL sLaLe law speclfles LhaL Lhe dlsLrlcL musL pay for LransporLaLlon cosLs for Lhose sLudenLs
who reslde wlLhln Lhe dlsLrlcL, regardless of wheLher Lhey aLLend a charLer school or LradlLlonal publlc school:
1be locol ot teqloool bootJ of eJocotloo of tbe scbool Jlsttlct lo wblcb tbe cbottet scbool ls locoteJ sboll ptovlJe
ttoospottotloo setvlces fot stoJeots of tbe cbottet scbool wbo teslJe lo socb scbool Jlsttlct potsooot to sectloo
10-27Jo ooless tbe cbottet scbool mokes otbet ottooqemeots fot socb ttoospottotloo. Aoy locol ot teqloool

23
$173,724,236 LoLal 2013-2014 LCS enLlLlemenL less $9,328,892 Alllance ulsLrlcL condlLlonal ald
Sources: ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. Alllance ulsLrlcLs ?ear 2 AmendmenL Summary: 8rldgeporL." 2013. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.sde.cL.gov/sde/llb/sde/pdf/alllance_dlsLrlcLs/alllance_year2_amendmenL_summary_8rldgeporL_flnal.pdf
ConnecLlcuL Cfflce of llscal Analysls. 1own CranLs uashboard" 2014. Pyperllnk: hLLp://www.cga.cL.gov/ofa/dashboard1.asp
24
Source: ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon
23
ConnecLlcuL Cfflce of llscal Analysls. 1own CranLs uashboard" 2014. Pyperllnk: hLLp://www.cga.cL.gov/ofa/dashboard1.asp
26
ConnecLlcuL Ceneral SLaLuLes, 10-66ee(f). CharLer school fundlng. Speclal educaLlon sLudenLs. 1ransporLaLlon. ConLracLs. CooperaLlve arrangemenLs." 2014. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.cga.cL.gov/2014/sup/chap_164.hLm#sec_10-66ee
27
ConnecLlcuL Ceneral SLaLuLes, 10-66ee(d)(3). CharLer school fundlng. Speclal educaLlon sLudenLs. 1ransporLaLlon. ConLracLs. CooperaLlve arrangemenLs." 2014. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.cga.cL.gov/2014/sup/chap_164.hLm#sec_10-66ee
6
bootJ of eJocotloo moy ptovlJe ttoospottotloo setvlces to o stoJeot otteoJloq o cbottet scbool ootslJe of tbe
Jlsttlct lo wblcb tbe stoJeot teslJes ooJ, lf lt elects to ptovlJe socb ttoospottotloo, sboll be telmbotseJ potsooot
to sectloo 10-266m fot tbe teosoooble costs of socb ttoospottotloo. Aoy locol ot teqloool bootJ of eJocotloo
ptovlJloq ttoospottotloo setvlces ooJet tbls sobsectloo moy sospeoJ socb setvlces lo occotJooce wltb tbe
ptovlsloos of sectloo 10-2JJc. 1be poteot ot qootJloo of ooy stoJeot JeoleJ tbe ttoospottotloo setvlces tepolteJ
to be ptovlJeJ potsooot to tbls sobsectloo moy oppeol socb Jeolol lo tbe moooet ptovlJeJ lo sectloos 10-186 ooJ
10-187. - cooo. Ceo. 5tot. 10-66ee(f)(2014)

Lven lf LransporLaLlon cosLs are sllghLly hlgher because sLudenLs may opL Lo aLLend charLers LhaL are locaLed across Lhe
dlsLrlcL, overall transportat|on costs are nom|na| at on|y 5700 per student |n 8r|dgeport.
28


8rldgeporL spends a loL on speclal educaLlon cosLs. ln 2012-2013, 22.7 of 8rldgeporL ubllc Schools' LoLal currenL
expendlLures are used for Speclal LducaLlon, on average, servlces cosL $21,387 per sLudenL.
29
Powever, Lhe clLy's
obllgaLlon for Lhese expenses doesn'L change, regardless of Lhe Lype of publlc school a sLudenL wlLh speclal needs
aLLends. State |aw requ|res any d|str|ct, |nc|ud|ng 8r|dgeport, to pay the d|fference between the reasonab|e cost to
educate the student and whatever funds the charter otherw|se rece|ves for spec|a| educat|on fund|ng. ConnecLlcuL
law sLaLes:
lo tbe cose of o stoJeot lJeotlfleJ os tepoltloq speclol eJocotloo, tbe scbool Jlsttlct lo wblcb tbe stoJeot teslJes
sboll . . . poy tbe stote cbottet scbool, oo o poottetly bosls, oo omooot epool to tbe Jlffeteoce betweeo tbe
teosoooble cost of eJocotloq socb stoJeot ooJ tbe som of tbe omooot tecelveJ by tbe stote cbottet scbool fot
socb stoJeot potsooot to sobJlvlsloo (2) of tbls sobsectloo ooJ omooots tecelveJ ftom otbet stote, feJetol, locol
ot ptlvote sootces colcoloteJ oo o pet popll bosls. 5ocb scbool Jlsttlct sboll be ellqlble fot telmbotsemeot
potsooot to sectloo 10-76q. 1be cbottet scbool o stoJeot tepoltloq speclol eJocotloo otteoJs sboll be tespooslble
fot eosotloq tbot socb stoJeot tecelves tbe setvlces mooJoteJ by tbe stoJeots loJlvlJoollzeJ eJocotloo ptoqtom
wbetbet socb setvlces ote ptovlJeJ by tbe cbottet scbool ot by tbe scbool Jlsttlct lo wblcb tbe stoJeot teslJes. -
cooo. Ceo. 5tot. 10-66ee(J)(J)(2014)

Student erformance Data
llnally, we examlne sLudenL performance daLa on 8rldgeporL publlc schools and charLer schools. All four charLer schools
ln 8rldgeporL ouLperform 8rldgeporL ubllc Schools' by over 10 polnLs, accordlng Lo School and ulsLrlcL erformance
lndex daLa.
30
ln addlLlon, all four charLer schools ln 8rldgeporL ouLperform sLaLe average performance for Afrlcan
Amerlcan sLudenLs, and Lhree ouL of four charLer schools ln 8rldgeporL ouLperform sLaLe average performance for boLh
low-lncome and Plspanlc/LaLlno sLudenLs, accordlng Lo School erformance lndex daLa.


28
8rldgeporL LransporLaLlon per pupll expendlLures were $701 ln Lhe 2012-2013 school year
(Source: rellmlnary SLraLeglc School roflle uaLa for 8rldgeporL, ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon)
29
ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. 2012-2013 Analysls of Speclal LducaLlon as a ercenLage of 1oLal CurrenL LxpendlLures." 2013. Pyperllnk:
hLLps://www.csde.sLaLe.cL.us/publlc/dgm/granLreporLs1/Sp1rLxpvlew8pL.aspx
30
ConnecLlcuL SLaLe ueparLmenL of LducaLlon. School & ulsLrlcL erformance 8eporLs 2012-2013." 2013. Pyperllnk:
hLLp://www.csde.sLaLe.cL.us/publlc/performancereporLs/20122013reporLs.asp
7

1ab|e 3. Schoo| and D|str|ct erformance Index (CM1), 2012-2013

ALL
S1UDLN1S
LCW-INCCML
S1UDLN1S
AIkICAN
AMLkICAN S1UDLN1S
LA1INC]nISANIC
S1UDLN1S
S1A1L AvL8ACL 78.0 68.0 62.3 67.4
88luCLC81 33.7 33.7 31.3 32.4
ACPlLvLMLn1 ll8S1 88luCLC81 76.7 73.8 73.9 77.2
A8k Cl1? 8L 72.9 70.0 67.7 78.3
nLW 8LClnnlnCS lAMlL? ACAuLM? 68.3 69.4 67.9 69.2
1PL 88luCL ACAuLM? 63.2 66.6 64.6 66.1


CCNCLUSICN
1hls reporL examlnes Lhe clalms LhaL openlng new publlc charLer schools ln 8rldgeporL would draln flnanclal resources
from Lhe dlsLrlcL's educaLlon budgeL. llscal, legal, and performance daLa on 8rldgeporL and sLaLe fundlng prove Lhese
clalms Lo be false. uaLa show LhaL over the next two years, the tota| |ncrease |n add|t|ona| state per pup|| a|d for
charter schoo|s to educate students |n 8r|dgeport |s 54S m||||on, p|us approx|mate|y 533 m||||on |n per pup|| sav|ngs.
1hese flndlngs suggesL LhaL noL only can charter schoo|s can prov|de a h|gh-qua||ty educat|on to the 8r|dgeport
students who need |t most, but a|so de||ver an econom|c benef|t to the c|ty because these schoo|s save the schoo|
d|str|ct m||||ons of do||ars that cou|d be used to further |mprove educat|ona| resu|ts for ch||dren.











A8CU1 1nL CCNNLC1ICU1 CCALI1ICN ICk ACnILVLMLN1 NCW (CCNNCAN)
1be coooectlcot coolltloo fot Acblevemeot Now (cooocAN) ls oo oJvococy otqoolzotloo leoJloq o movemeot to lmptove
pobllc eJocotloo fot klJs. we btloq poteots, eJocotots, pollcymokets, ooJ oJvocotes toqetbet to belp eosote tbot oll klJs
bove occess to qteot scbools teqotJless of toce, weoltb, ot zlp coJe.
1o leoto mote oboot cooocAN, vlslt. www.cooocoo.otq.