Please consult our full report for more details. Charters were designed to operate free from some rules and regulations governing traditional public schools, and if they do well we may need to reassess all educational regulations. They may hamper instead of help. The existence of charters has resulted in a greater need for administrative personnel at the state Department of Public Instruction. The staff originally appointed to oversee charters has hired additional people, an unexpected expense for the state.
Charters operate successfully only with considerable volunteer support from parents.
Parents are aware of this when they seek to put their child in the school. One principal told us that all applicants were well aware that the school could not function without volunteer support, making parental help almost a requirement in some schools. Traditional public schools cannot require volunteer hours from parents. Many children who were previously home schooled have joined charters, bringing with them money that the state had not previously been expending on their behalf. Both charters and traditional schools would benefit from a means of exchanging success stories.