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PHOENIX -- State School Superintendent Tom Horne wants to give charter schools more money, something that would cost Arizona taxpayers an extra $78 million a year. Horne said a study he commissioned shows that these schools, which technically are public schools, get less per pupil on average than the typical traditional school. He said many of these schools, run by both non-profit and for-profit organizations, are doing a good job educating students and should not be hobbled by lack of funds. In fact, Horne said he believes that increased state aid actually would result in some out-of-state companies agreeing to locate new schools here, something he said would provide more choice for children. Mike Smith, lobbyist for the Arizona School Administrators Association, acknowledged that the figures Horne is using shows less funding for charter schools. But Smith pointed out that the difference is not in state financing. It is in what local residents agree to tax themselves, whether for school construction projects that the state will not fund or for programs that cannot be financed with the state aid received. And Smith said state law limits how those extra taxpayer-raised dollars can be spent to specific purposes; Horne's proposal would simply give extra dollars to charter schools to use as they want. Horne conceded the point. But he said it is irrelevant. "I'm looking at it from the standpoint of the children," he said. Horne said that means ensuring that all types of public schools have the same funding to properly educate Arizona children. Charter schools are outside the regular system of school districts defined by geographic boundaries. They are governed by many of the same laws that apply to public schools. For example, they cannot charge tuition and they cannot discriminate among applicants. Students also have to take the AIMS test and schools are graded as to whether their students are making adequate progress. The big difference is that they are operated by the organizations that form them, and the teachers do not have to be certified by the state as having completed the required education courses. Both types of schools receive state aid according to set formulas. Horne said his own study showed that charter schools, on average, get $1,514 per student, versus $1,255 for traditional public schools. But those public schools also get money directly from taxpayers, raising their total to $2,410. His proposal would make up that $868 per student difference with state tax dollars. With more than 90,000 students enrolled in 469 charter schools -- 43 of those as for-profit operations -- that extra cash comes out to more than $78.5 million a year. Total state aid to all types of public schools now totals about $3.1 billion. Smith said there are legitimate reasons to provide different formulas for state aid. For example, he said that charter schools already get money for transportation, money that will be increased if Horne gets his way. But he said there is no requirement for these schools to actually provide bus service for any students. Similarly, Smith said the money traditional public schools get for school construction by having voters approve bond issues must be spent on buildings. Yet the increased dollars that would go to charter schools to match those construction dollars could be spent on anything. Horne said it might be appropriate to provide public schools more flexibility -- but not just yet. And he said the fact that money for bonds and overrides comes from local taxpayers doesn't mean the state should not provide equal funds for charters. "It doesn't matter to the taxpayer whether it's a local tax or a state tax," he said. And Horne said charter schools do have capital expenses. "They either have to rent space or they have to borrow money to build it," Horne continued. "And then they have amortization expense which is identical to bonding expense." Horne also does not believe the lack of a requirement to have passed state-approved teaching courses should subject these schools to financial discrimination. "I think we need to judge them by their results," he said, rather than their college training.