Some Rhode Island charter schools receiving lower funding than public school counterparts

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The funding available for charter school students outside of the big three districts of Pawtucket, Providence and Central Falls is far lower than those three, according to the Rhode Island League for Charter Schools.

About 76% of all charter school students in the state come from those three districts, but when you look outside of the big three, the funding available for other charter school students is far lower.

For these schools that rely on state funding, they are not getting nearly enough.

The analysis of these schools came with five major findings, one of them finding charter school students will most times receive fewer resources than their peers at traditional public schools.

The study finds on average a nearly fifteen hundred dollar deficit in funding for a charter school student than traditional public school.

Some of the other findings from the League for Charter Schools shows a major disconnect between student needs and state funding, as well as that student success factors do not account for their needs.

For the three largest charter communities, Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls, the gap is much larger, coming in at around $2,900.