Business Week, p. 123. The DC School Reform Act authorizes both the DC Public Charter School Board and the DC Board of Education to charter schools. Among the 19 charter schools that opened in the fall of 1998 are the Next Step High School for teen parents, chartered by the Latin American Youth Center, and the Caesar Chavez Public Policy High School. The District's charter schools receive funds from the DCPS budget based on the school system's Uniform Per Pupil Funding Formula. Since these schools have non-profit status, many also raise private funds to support their educational programs.
Charter schools are accountable for the academic performance of their students.
Accountability is based on a performance contract between the school's chartering authority and the school's sponsors. This contract spells out the expected student outcomes, and the continued existence of a charter school will depend on whether those outcomes are achieved.