Schools
Is There Another Agenda Here?
Chicago Public Schools' 50 charter schools have 11,000 empty seats, they continue to move forward with plans to approve as many as 31
In an independent investigation of Chicago Public Schools data from the 2013-14 school year compiled by the parent group Raise Your Hand has discovered that 47 percent of CPS charter and contract schools had student populations below the CPS threshold for ideal enrollment. This equates to 50 schools with nearly 11,000 seats sitting empty. (Press release)The analysis also reveals a decline in overall CPS enrollment of 3,000 students this academic year. Despite this drop, the Chicago Board of Education could approve as many as 31 new charters over the next two years, the group said in a press release.
Why would a public school board set out to create new charter schools, when the ones they have are under enrolled? Is there another agenda at work here? Are the lessons to be learned here for Washington’s fledgling charter schools industry?