WONDERING ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS?

Here’s some information (from The New York Times - More Scrutiny for Charter Schools in Debate Over Expansion by NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and JENNIFER MEDINA, May 25, 2010) that might help shed light on the issue:

Charter school advocates argue that the freedom from traditional rules enables them to make major improvements. But that same freedom can present problems: a review of public documents shows that many charter schools in New York have spent money in questionable ways and have experienced significant conflicts of interest.

The documents, including New York state Education Department reports, federal tax filings and audits of charter schools prepared by outside firms, were obtained by the state teachers union, and provided to The New York Times, which corroborated the data. Teachers unions have traditionally been sharply critical of charter schools, whose teachers usually are not unionized.

The problems underscore what many critics say is a weak system in New York for policing spending by charter schools, which are publicly financed but

privately run.

Furthermore...

Even as the Obama administration promotes charter schools as integral to its education agenda, the inspector general in the federal Education Department has raised concern about growing accusations of financial fraud at schools around the country. In some cases officials in charge of overseeing charters have reauthorized schools even after finding significant evidence of financial mismanagement.

(Schools) could not explain to investigators’ satisfaction how the board had determined the salary of its chief executives.

.....officials have found, charters entered into complex and eyebrow-raising transactions to secure space, which most charters, unlike traditional schools, must obtain on their own.