How does charter competition affect the financial condition of Georgia traditional public school districts? Using an instrumental variables strategy on 2015–2019 data and four need-capacity indicators, The results show that charter school impacts are far from uniform: the financial consequences depend heavily on policy design (state vs. local charter school) and district context (city vs. non-city districts).
Does charter entry raise borrowing costs for school districts? Using a national panel of 2011–2019 general obligation bonds and a Heckman selection model, this research quantifies the penalty of charter competition in the bond market: about $15,700 in additional annual interest cost, which is about $314,000 in added costs over a 20-year bond lifespan.
Did Georgia's charter system reform improve district outcomes? Using 172 districts from 2004–2014 and a staggered synthetic difference-in-differences design, the reform shows little effect on state standardized test passing rates. Incentives and regulatory flexibility alone did not improve school district performance.