Florida charter schools: big money, little oversight
Florida’s charter school movement has grown into $400-million-a-year powerhouse backed by real-estate developers and promoted by politicians, but with little oversight.
BY SCOTT HIAASEN AND KATHLEEN MCGRORY
SHIAASEN@MIAMIHERALD.COM
Preparing for her daughter’s graduation in the spring, Tuli Chediak received a blunt message from her daughter’s charter high school: Pay us $600 or your daughter won’t graduate.
She also received a harsh lesson about charter schools: Sometimes they play by their own rules.
During the past 15 years, Florida has embarked on a dramatic shift in public education, steering billions in taxpayer dollars from traditional school districts to independently run charter schools. What started as an educational movement has turned into one of the region’s fastest-growing industries, backed by real-estate developers and promoted by politicians.
But while charter schools have grown into a $400-million-a-year business in South Florida, receiving
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/19/2541051/florida-charter-schools-big-money.html#ixzz1gEsn1k1r