When a tiny charter school in San Diego got a massive federal grant thatmore than doubled its annual budget, skeptics said it was a classic example of how California bungles giving out money to turn around faltering schools.
Testing expert Doug McRae argued that California deserved a "Golden Fleece Award" for giving King-Chavez Arts Academy so much more money per pupil than other schools. Stephen Rhoads, a lobbyist who works with school districts, called it "way out of line."
"It's really questionable that those funds are going to be spent well," Rhoads told me last fall.