State hopes to have charter school start up grant funds, lost in 2011, restored next year

CONCORD – Since the state Board of Education voted to place a moratorium on new charter schools in September, school founders around the state have worried that vote might mean a loss of federal startup grant dollars. That worry may not be baseless, since recent information shows that the state has lost charter school grant money once already. The state was awarded an $11.6 million federal startup grant in 2010 and was set to receive a $2.3 million installment between August  2011 and August 2012. But that year’s award was slashed by nearly $800,000, according to Matt Southerton, of the New Hampshire Center for Innovative Schools. Federal charter school officials said the deduction occurred after the state did not award as many grants as it planned to between 2010 and 2011.