New Report Pushes Back on Texas Charter Schools and Other Privatization Threats
An effort aimed at “supporting Texas public schools and making charter schools more transparent and accountable to the public” was recently announced (press release) by a newly launched group called Our Schools Our Democracy.
The group released a report detailing its criticisms of charters.
Bipartisan Support
The group’s mission has bipartisan support.
“Charter schools are out of control,” Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, said in support of the group, adding: “While public schools in our state face an existential funding crisis, charter schools are playing with Texas taxpayer dollars like Monopoly money, voting to lease a private jet for over $15M and leasing a luxury box at a sports arena in San Antonio.”
Added Republican former State Board of Education member Pat Hardy of Fort Worth: “Parents and the public should have input into any proposal to locate a new charter campus in their community through a charter expansion amendment.”
Hardy was referring to the fact that state law gives the governor-appointed education commissioner complete oversight of granting requests for existing charter districts to open an unlimited number of new campuses anywhere in the state — and to expand the grades served.
Top-Line Charter Criticisms
These were the top-line criticisms of charters in the report:
- Existing charter schools can expand anywhere in Texas through a charter amendment with the sole approval of the appointed Texas Commissioner of Education and without a vote by any elected body.
- Charter schools have more than triple the high school dropout rate of public school districts.
- Public school districts have scored higher than charter schools on statewide STAAR exams over the last 20 years for all students/all subjects and in most individual subject areas.
- Five urban public school districts lost $5.3 billion in revenue over the last five years due to unlimited charter expansion.
- Charter schools can exclude certain students from enrollment and historically underserved special education students.
- Charter schools serve about 8 percent of students statewide but receive about 17 percent of all state aid for public schools.
The report makes several recommendations.
