Schools
Michigan fails to hold charter schools accountable
Failure to hold charter schools accountable leads to abuses that cost taxpayers millions of dollars and violates the rights of students.
“Michigan taxpayers pour nearly $1 billion a year into charter schools — but state laws regulating charters are among the nation’s weakest, and the state demands little accountability in how taxpayer dollars are spent and how well children are educated.”
“A yearlong investigation by the Detroit Free Press reveals that Michigan’s lax oversight has enabled a range of abuses in a system now responsible for more than 140,000 Michigan children. That figure is growing as more parents try charter schools as an alternative to traditional districts.”
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In Washington state, we are in the first year of a five year plan to authorize and monitor up to forty charter schools. If we are to avoid the mistakes of other states, we must be aware of the difficulties they experienced.