The federal government is making additional funds available to assist in the start-up of charter schools. The issues that most often are cited for being against charter schools are equity concerns, teacher union contract and certification terms, and unhealthy competition with existing schools. Charters are described above. Waivers are formal requests made to the state to avoid following certain state regulations. These requests often concern length of the school year and other time restrictions.
Private schools are schools that are sponsored by a nonpublic group.
They may or may not charge tuition to students, but usually they do. They may be sectarian or nonsectarian. Each state's legislation specifically defines who can apply for a charter. The most restrictive legislation allows only the local district's school board to apply. Each state's legislation includes applications consisting of goals and mission, curriculum and instructional objectives, governance information, assessment and evaluation procedures and goals, and fiscal management information.