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State officials: charter schools and Education Freedom Accounts are growing; department projects tens of millions more than governor’s HB1 estimate
Summary
Department of Education staff told the House Finance Division on April 2 that recent March 1 counts show charter-school enrollment and Education Freedom Account participation are higher than earlier agency estimates and that pending charter applications could add sizeable additional costs to the Education Trust Fund.
Mark Manganiello and Caitlin Davis of the Department of Education gave the committee updated, real‑time counts for charter schools and Education Freedom Accounts (EFA), noting the department’s March 1 enrollment snapshots showed higher usage than the agency had projected during the agency phase.
For charter schools, the department reported an estimated $70 million in state charter payments for fiscal 2026 and roughly $74 million for fiscal 2027 for existing, open charter schools. The department also provided an estimate for new and pending charter schools that could add another $5–$10 million in the biennium. “The cost we're projecting relative to these schools is between 5 and $10,000,000 for the two years of the biennium,” Manganiello said, and noted…
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