- Charter schools are public schools and free to all. Parents choose these schools for their children as opposed to being assigned to them.
- 145,180 children attend North Carolina’s 100 charter schools. Western North Carolina has 14 charter schools and educates 3,747 children (three of which are in Buncombe County and educate about 1,000 children).
- Charter schools have a performance contract with the State, which holds them accountable for fiscal health as well as high academic standards. Their charter is renewed every five to 10 years through a charter renewal process. They are also held accountable for N.C. testing standards and the requirements of federal No Child Left Behind law.
- Charter school teachers cite curriculum autonomy, parent/teacher partnership, and collaborative decision making as reasons for higher job satisfaction than reported by district school teachers.
- Charter schools meet the needs of students who are falling through the cracks in traditional schools, including students with special needs and the academically gifted.
- While North Carolina district schools receive millions of dollars a year in capital expense outlays, charter schools receive none of this funding.
- Under current law, North Carolina charter schools will receive none of the proceeds from the North Carolina education lottery. In 2011, $1,227,586 went to non-charter schools in Asheville City and Buncombe County; 23.9% went to salaries of non-charter K-3 teachers, fully funding 3,731 teachers' salaries. 51.9% or $100 million went to non-charter school construction projects.
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