COMMUNITY SCHOOLS IN OHIO:
Overview to Ohio Community Schools Spreadsheets
September 17, 2004
FUNDING TRENDS AND ISSUES
9 Community schools (called charter schools in most other states) began in Ohio in FY 1999.
During that school year, 15 schools were opened with total funding from the State of Ohio
at $10,988,588 that year.
9 By FY 2000, 48 community schools had opened with three of the original 15 suspending
operation. Total in State of Ohio funding increased to $49,048,177.
9 In the 2000-2001 school year, a total of 68 community schools were open, collecting a
total of $92,005.853 in State funding.
9 The final Ohio Community Schools Payment report for year-end June 2002 shows total
funding of $138,169,061 with a total enrollment of 23,591.in 92 community schools.
9 By fiscal year-end 2003, 137 schools were open, enrollment numbers climbed to 33,978,
and the actual funding for those schools totaled $204,760,492.
By October 1, 2003 (when traditional school districts had clearly completed budgets
for the 2003-2004 school year), the projected year’s total community school funding
for 2003-2004 was just over $264.5 million for those schools in operation as of that
date. However, the funding grew to a final total of $305,234,572 for FY 2004, an
increase over the October projections of over 15%.
Total enrollment in FY 2004 in community schools was 47,557.
9 Additionally, two schools received funding in FY 2004 yet were not included in the year-
end reports (Cleveland Academy of Math and Science Tech which closed in January, 2004,
and Fairless Digital which inexplicably received funding for only 1.78 students in June
2004.) Together these schools’ payments would increase FY 2004 Community School
funding by $1,063,720 to a total in excess of $306.3 million dollars.
In the current school year, as of the September 1, 2004 community school payments,
the projections in funding and enrollment total $343,723,690 and 52,197 respectively.
The growth factor of community schools in