"The degree to which charter schools are operating in competition to the traditional public schools and the ways in which that competition affects traditional schools is unknown," the study states.

The Utah Education Policy Center surveyed parents and officials representing charter schools, school districts and the state to examine issues including the purpose, governance and law surrounding charter schools. The study, created for the Legislature's Executive Appropriations Committee, will be discussed at Tuesday's meeting. Although committee member Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, had not yet had a chance to read the study, he said it "absolutely" has the potential to impact legislation.

"We felt No. 1, charter schools were growing so rapidly - or the requests were - that we ought to get some understanding of where we were going with them," he said.

Many parents who enroll their child in a charter school do so because the charter offered choice, according to the study, though district officials often believe traditional public schools offer choice as well. Parents ranked academic excellence and basic skills as some of the most critical educational goals for their charter school.

Although a state law says a purpose of charter schools is to "encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods," many of those interviewed said that some charter schools do not seem to adhere to that goal. But there could be something to learn from the parents' perspectives.

"While many participants questioned whether charter schools were as 'unique' and 'innovative' as they considered themselves, evidence from this study suggests that we should consider what it takes to be innovative or unique," the study concludes.

As for the future, the growth of charter schools should connect with "the resources and infrastructure to support reasonable and 'responsible growth,' " the study states. Some of those interviewed expressed concern with funding what some see as a dual school system with both charter and traditional schools.

But charter school growth, if done with care, would not doom other schools.

"Responsible growth would not lead to the destruction of traditional public schools," the report states.

A second report, which focused on funding and facilities, also was released Thursday. A review of 16 states found that charter schools "do not have access to the same level of funding as other public schools on an ongoing basis." But an analysis of startup funding for charter schools versus traditional public schools found that "traditional public schools have a lower average startup cost per student."

A comparison of facility costs between a recently built charter school and a recently built traditional public school found the charter school to have a "lower overall" facility cost. Reasons included decreased square footage and per student acreage as well as a heating and cooling system that initially cost less.

An audit of charter schools conducted by the Office of the Legislative Auditor General will be released before the legislative session starts. That will include a financial review of charter schools and whether they are complying with Utah law, said Wayne Kidd, audit supervisor for the charter school audit.

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* JULIA LYON can be contacted at jlyon@sltrib.com or 801-257-8748.

Some study findings:

* Ten states require districts to provide transportation for students going to charter schools. That is not the case in Utah.

* Twenty-four states, along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, limit the number of charter schools. Utah also has a cap in place on new charter schools.

* Twenty-five states and Puerto Rico require teachers to be certified who work in charter schools. Some states permit waivers or other alternatives.