Dive Brief:
- Charter school critics and supporters discussed their concerns with California legislators this week in a hearing that covered transparency laws, authorization processes and accountability expectations.
- EdSource reports school district leaders complained charters don’t have to publish financial reports or have annual budget and planning documents reviewed by county agencies, and they don’t have to offer appeals processes for student expulsions or school meals programs.
- Charter supporters said there is a conflict of interest in having school districts serve as authorizers because they perceive charters as direct competition and sometimes do not have the staff capacity or expertise to do the work required.
Dive Insight:
Charter school law varies state to state. In Michigan, one reason there are so many charter schools is because public colleges and universities can authorize new charter schools, in addition to local school districts, and authorizers get a cut of the money from the state once they open. Minnesota is the only state that has a teachers union serve as one of its authorizers. In states like California and Illinois, charter school proposals must be brought forth by nonprofit boards, while Michigan is among those that allow for-profit organizations to open new schools. Twenty-five years into the charter school experiment, states should be learning from each other about what practices lead to the best student outcomes and adjusting their regulations accordingly.