LETTER: Charter schools have different rules

From Keith R. Kamrath
Chairman, Hutchinson Board of Education
In the Nov. 18 Hutchinson Leader opinion section, a writer suggests that “the funding they (Independent School District 423) currently have obviously has to be enough or close to enough to complete the task at hand given that the charter school not only built a building, but did so without asking the normal tax base for a dime.”

The reality is that charter schools operate under a different set of funding rules compared to regular school districts. Charter schools are not allowed to purchase buildings or property with state funds. However, all charter schools in Minnesota are eligible to receive an additional special taxpayer revenue to lease facilities. Charter schools can receive up to $1,200 per student in lease-aid to rent facilities. Regular school districts can also receive lease-aid, but the maximum amount is $150 per student. A charter school that leases a facility, old or new, is using tax payer money to do so. There is no referendum required to secure the public funds to pay a charter school lease. An important distinction: When a charter school lease is concluded, the charter school building will be owned privately and not by the public.

If ISD 423 could receive the lease-aid equivalent to a Minnesota charter school, based on our enrollment we would be able to nearly finance a $59 million project over 20 years without asking for voter approval. This amount of funding would have approximately paid for both Questions 1 and 2 on the recent school bond referendum.