Key Issues

About Key Issues

Key Issues To ensure charter schools and neighborhood public schools function in the best interests of students, parents and community members, we believe that, like all public institutions, they must be guided by six basic principles of a democratic society: transparency, accountability, quality, oversight, equity and public control. However, charter schools, by design, are less regulated, and in some cases, fail to live up to these ideals. In fact, we have seen many cases where the interests of owners and shareholders of for-profit charters and educational corporations conflict with the broad public interest and the common good.

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Success Academy’s “Got to Go” list weeds out certain students


  |   Tags: Barriers to Enrollment, Charters, Civil Rights Issues, Equity, Key Issues

The New York Times reports that at Eva Moskowitz’s Success Academy Charter School is weeding out “weak or difficult students, and intentionally not sending annual re-enrollment forms to certain students. After interviewing 10 currents and former employees, the Times discovered that one of the schools’ principals has a “Got to Go” list, which singles out the children […] Read More »

Ohio Supreme Court Reluctantly Rules in White Hat’s Favor


The Ohio Supreme Court ruled this week that all assets purchased by ten Ohio charter schools belongs to their former operator, White Hat Management. The schools all terminated their contracts with White Hat, which then demanded payment for facilities and equipment if the school wanted to keep the property. According to the contracts each school […] Read More »

Charter School in PA using facilities to funnel cash away from instruction


  |   Tags: Accountability, Finance and Facilities, Oversight, Public Control, Self-Dealing, Transparency

A recent article on Philly.com outlines a few of the ways charter schools use facilities funding to divert public money. This includes expensive bond transactions, related party deals, and lining the pockets of consultants. As Rutgers education professor Bruce Baker put it: “public policy permits a bad deal for the public — one that essentially […] Read More »