Delaware

NCAI Region: Northeast

Total Population: 618,617

Native American Population: 9,899

Percentage of population: 1.6%

State Public Education Department: Delaware Department of Education

State Average Per Pupil Funding: $14,224

Charter Support Organizations: Delaware Charter Schools Network

Year Charter Law Enacted: 1995

2020 Model Law Ranking: 15

Estimated Number of Charter Schools: 23

Estimated Number of Charter Students: 16,086

Delaware law requires the state department of education to administer a performance fund for charter schools, to be known as the Charter School Performance Fund. It requires the department to establish threshold eligibility requirements for applicants desiring to apply for funding, which shall include but not be limited to a proven track record of success, as measured by a performance framework established by the charter school’s authorizer or comparable measures as defined by the department. It also requires the department to establish criteria to evaluate applications for funding, which shall include but not be limited to the availability of supplemental funding from non-State sources at a ratio to be determined by the department. The law requires the department to prioritize those applications from applicants that have developed high-quality plans for start-up or expansion or serve high-need students, as defined by the department. The law provides that the fund shall be subject to appropriation and shall not exceed $5 million annually. The state is currently not providing any funding to this program.The law provides that the state shall fund minor capital improvements at charter schools in the same manner as the state funds such improvements at vocational technical school districts.
Delaware law provides that school districts must make unused buildings or space in buildings available for charter schools and must bargain in good faith over the cost of rent, services, and maintenance related to such space.
Delaware law requires the state department of education and state department of administrative services to publish a list of all vacant and unused buildings and portions of buildings owned by the state or school districts that may be suitable for charter schools.
Delaware law provides that charter schools are eligible to access tax-exempt bond financing through the Delaware Economic Development Authority and have access to the tax-exempt bond market through the county in which they reside. It also provides that charter schools have the same access to conduit bond financing as any other non-profit organization and that no state or local government unit may impose any condition or restriction on a charter school’s approval solely because the applicant is a public charter school.