Dr's In: Tainted charter schools undermine traditional public schools

The Broward County School Board has notified three charter schools that they have violated their agreement with the school system and will have to close.

But the State Board of Education has to approve such decisions and often does not support school board decisions. The three Broward schools are still operating.

Local school districts are frustrated when Tallahassee interferes with their efforts to sanction corrupt or inept charter schools.  One of the three Broward charter schools, Rise Academy, had been ordered closed before only to have that decision overruled.

Corruption well describes the underbelly of many charter schools. Undermined oversight relates to political zeal for expansion.  Charter schools are protected by conservative legislators and high-priced lobbyists paid directly or indirectly with tax dollars.

That money could better be used to help struggling traditional public schools, Florida public school funding ranks 43rd out of 50 states.

Currently, there are 519 approved charter schools in Florida. The cost to taxpayers exceeded $1.5 billion over a three year period and nearly half of the schools had financial arrangements with their directors or employees that would not be allowed in traditional public schools. 

Critics question how much of the tax dollars given to charter schools are actually spent to educate the students.

Some charter schools are rife with conflicts of interest. The schools may lease space from board members.  Board members may enter into school contracts with relatives. Wives of legislators and outgoing legislators are opening schools. Elected legislators are employed or run some charter schools. 

Administrators, board members and staff have borrowed money from charter schools, some that were nearly broke. One school fudged attendance records to allow students to work on projects that profited the school.  The school went unpunished and remained open.

Charter schools are often protected from accountability. Their advocates say parents need schools that are not hamstrung by so many rules.  Why not just tweak those rules and save the taxpayers’ money?

 Charter schools often are riddled in debt, hire teachers public schools could not hire, and often use tax dollars to support religiously influenced education. Churches and other religious groups often leased their property to charter schools.  Charter-school supporters in Tallahassee appear to have no problem with tax money being spent to benefit churches.

Voters must decide whether they are comfortable with this questionable use of their tax money.  The attack on public education involves siphoning needed resources from traditional schools and continual criticism of public school teachers, and principals.

 Charter school expansion and more vouchers advances the privatization of public education. Public schools, which are so important to the growth and success of this nation, are threatened by entrepreneurs, religious doctrine, and feckless conservative legislators.

Marc Yacht is a semi-retired physician living in Hudson, Fla. Column courtesy of Context Florida.