A small, but significant, number of charter schools had severe financial difficulties in the first year of operation, but most problems decreased over time. It is difficult to refute the argument of many study-area charter school administrators that at least initially, the MEAP results reflect the performance level of the students as they enter their schools. Although starting at a lower point, the improvement in MEAP scores among the charter schools is greater than among a comparison group of traditional schools. Attracting teachers generally has not been a problem for study area charter schools, but in many schools retaining teachers is an issue. In general, charter schools employ less experienced teachers at considerably lower average pay.
Several factors contribute to the problem.
Because of this limitation, the department's role has been restricted to categorizing and filing documents, answering questions, and applying for federal charter school grants. Charter schools are having considerable trouble with state and federal special-education requirements. Charter schools typically are so small that the cost of providing specialized instruction for one or two learning-disabled children is prohibitive. Equally important is that some charter school administrators and parents do not subscribe to the notion that public schools should be required to make special provisions beyond that required to accommodate physically disabled students. More time is needed to fully assess the effect of charter schools on public education.