Dr's In: Charter School growth needs improved oversight

Florida legislative efforts to increase charter schools (CS) continue.  Approximately one in seventeen Florida children attends charter schools.  Reports claim a six-fold increase in a decade.  Both not-for profit and for-profit companies can operate charter schools.  School districts can open charter schools. Administrators do not have to be certified.  By rule charter school teachers must be certified.

Charter School proponents claim it offers families more choices to educate their children.  The schools can be more innovative.  They do not have to meet the strict standards of public schools or teacher accountability. There are current legislative efforts to improve standards.  Charter school proponents claim they are not encumbered by the regulation of traditional schools. 

Unfortunately, the lack of accountability has undermined confidence and success in many charter schools.  Resources are another issue. Many charter schools are fiscally tenuous.  They tend to close almost as quickly as new schools open.  There have been 252 charter school closings through 2013.

These closings have serious impact on students, parents, and public school funding.  Students that chose a charter school take an FTE (full time equivalent) worth approximately $6,500 to the chosen CS.  Public schools have basic overhead that must be met. The bleeding of those funds play havoc with public school budgets.  Other grants and funding are slipping away from public schools and given to charter schools.  Charter Schools and vouchers remain a financial disaster for public school budgets.

Charter schools remain under the authority of local school boards.  That authority is compromised as the Florida Board of Education can override local school board actions. The Florida House pushed through a bill further limiting school district’s control over charters.  According to the Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau, HB 7083 would use a standardized contract stripping districts of their leverage in CS contract negotiations. 

There are constitutional concerns should this Bill be successful.  The Bill would likely put all power of negotiation with the Charter proposal. Currently, there is little support for this effort in the Senate.  

Charter school scandals are frequent. The latest has surfaced with the U.S. Department of Education investigating the business practices of Florida’s largest for-profit charter school operator, according to the Miami Herald. The federal agency is concerned about conflicts of interest between Academica Corp. and the Mater Academy network it manages.  The concerns involve a questionable relationship with a State Representative, board members, and contractors.  Academica Corp. had been investigated in 2011.

Clarifying Charter School success over Public school evaluations is a mixed bag and depends on who provides the statistics.  It is certain that many Charter Schools underperform and escape accountability.  In all fairness, many provide a good education and are succeeding. However, a heavy cloud of corruption and incompetence continues to taint charter schools.  Legislators would be wise in addressing issues of accountability and overt conflicts of interest.  It would be wiser for Florida lawmakers to deal with wrongdoers than be embarrassed by Federal investigations. 

No public school should have its resources compromised due to political efforts to promote charter schools.  At best public and charter schools should be treated equally.  Both are funded with Florida tax dollars.

Dr. Marc Yacht, MD is a semi-retired physician living in Hudson, Florida.  This column courtesy of Context Florida