On Monday, May 5th at 11:00 a.m. in Rooms 402-403 at the State Capitol, the Michigan Chamber Foundation will release a public policy study containing a comprehensive cost comparison of public school academies (commonly referred to as Charter Schools) and traditional public schools in Michigan. The Michigan Chamber Foundation is a 501©(3) non-profit organization established to plan, promote and conduct non-partisan educational research and programs regarding important public policy issues facing Michigan. The study was prepared by Anderson Economic Group, a Lansing-based consulting group specializing in economics and public policy.

With the Michigan Legislature and Granholm Administration debating the 2004 School Aid Budget and legislation to raise the cap on the number of public school academies that can be chartered by state universities, it is critically important for policy makers to have timely and accurate information about the cost of charter schools in comparison with traditional public schools.

Do charter schools cost taxpayers more or less than traditional public schools? Is there a gap in funding between charter schools and traditional public schools? The answers to these important questions and others are included in the Chamber Foundation's 40-page study, which will be presented by Michigan Chamber President & CEO Jim Barrett and Patrick L. Anderson, lead author of the study.

SOURCE: Michigan Chamber Foundation

CONTACT: Jim Barrett, President & CEO of Michigan Chamber,
+1-517-371-2100

Web site: http://www.michamber.com/