Who's in charge here? A look at the companies behind charter schools
Published: Tuesday, February 07, 2012, 5:00 AM
GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan — Your local charter school is most likely not really locally operated.
Most are for-profit companies based in far-off locales, operating behind-the-scenes and calling the shots on everything from teacher pay to school policy to pencil purchases.
View full sizeHere's a look at the operators behind Genesee County's charter schools.One local charter school here operates as a freestanding charter with completely local control.
The other nine are being run by seven different companies, called education management organizations. All but one are operating as a for-profit entity. Combined these businesses run more than 400 schools in communities as close as Oakland County and Saginaw and as far-flung as California and Dubai.
None of those seven operators are based in Genesee County, five are based in Michigan and the others in Minnesota and New York.
Companies like these are often criticized for taking taxpayer dollars earmarked for Michigan classrooms and padding a secret profit margin. To others, they're bringing free-market style