This year, 84 eligible charter schools were each awarded more than $40,000 for their facility needs from the Georgia Department of Education. Previously, schools competed for approximately 14 grants of $100,000. More Georgia charter schools received State Facilities Grants this year due to an additional $2 million in funding Georgia Charter Schools Association successfully advocated for during the last legislative session and cooperative efforts with the Georgia Department of education
In years past, schools had to meet eligibility requirements such as “Beating the Odds” to receive a State Facilities Grant. This year, GaDOE and GCSA worked together to ensure that more schools would be eligible for this important funding. FY 2020 State Facilities Grant awardees were required to submit an audit report for FY 2018, 2019, or 2020, and own or lease their school building (with a lease term of three years or longer). This change resulted in the majority of Georgia’s charter schools receiving state funding for facilities. GCSA would like to see that number increase to at least $100,000 for every charter school in Georgia in the coming years.
