Charter boom – no end in sight
So far, ethical and financial abuses haven't deterred the District from creating more charters.
by Dale Mezzacappa
At Independence Charter School in Center City, kindergarten students Geonni Gee (left) and Nyla Ringgold-Floyd and classroom assistant Joanne Leibowitz enjoy math and reading online games on a website that a teacher created.
In 13 short years, the charter school movement in Philadelphia has grown from nothing to a network with 67 schools and more than 36,000 students, financed by $400 million in taxpayer dollars.
Counted together, they would be the second largest school district in Pennsylvania.
But today, the work of many dedicated educators who eagerly seized the opportunity to create successful learning communities has been nearly overshadowed by revelations about profiteering, excessive CEO salaries, mismanagement, and nepotism at several charters.
Some who witnessed the charter approval process, especially in the early years, now tie the current troubles to Distict officials who ignored warning signs and approved deficient proposals in the rush to create as many schools as possible. Officials who were either pressured politically or committed to school choice ideology then looked the other way when evidence of questionable financial and ethical practices began to surface.
“We gave up too many charters too fast in the beginning,” said Lori Shorr, Mayor