D.C. Charter Schools Lose Funding Fight in Federal Court

A group of Washington, D.C., public charter schools can’t sue the city in federal court for allegedly underfunding them compared to traditional public schools, the D.C. Circuit said July 19.

The charter schools challenged the District of Columbia’s school funding practices. But federal courts don’t have jurisdiction over the fight because the charter schools’ claims didn’t arise under federal law, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said.

The District of Columbia funds traditional schools annually based on their projected enrollment, but adjusts charter funding quarterly based on actual enrollment, the charter schools said. The different funding ...