More charter schools will open, while some are closing
Detroit — Michigan's proliferation of charter schools is easing for the first time in years.
Only seven new charter schools will be opening in the state in the fall — the fewest since the Legislature lifted the cap on university-authorized charters in 2011, the Michigan Association of Public School Academies is announcing Tuesday.
This compares with 17 new charters last year, 32 in 2013, 31 in 2012, 19 in 2011 and 18 in 2010. None of the new charter schools is in Detroit.
According to MAPSA, the state will have 306 charter schools in 2015-16, its highest number ever. Last year's tally was 302, according to the state, and some of those schools are closing.
Since 2000, the number of charter schools in Michigan and their enrollment has more than doubled, reaching 141,094 in 2014-15, according to the Michigan Department of Education.
As charters expanded, enrollment dropped at traditional public schools, pushing more districts into financial trouble. That sparked calls to curb new charter schools.
In March, then-state Superintendent Mike Flanagan, urged a moratorium on charter school openings in Detroit and other struggling districts to stabilize enrollment.
Charter school advocates pushed back, saying new limits weren't needed.
"In our view, this is proof we were right — just one year after all these people were saying the system is out of control, we're seeing a record low number of new schools opening," said Buddy Moorehouse, a MAPSA spokesman.
Dan Quisenberry, the group's president, said charter authorizers are opening fewer schools to match supply with demand and ensure quality.
"The fact that we're seeing so few new schools this year only means the authorizers are doing their job," he said. "They respond to community need, and they haven't bowed to any public or political pressure."
But other education observers think the calls for restraint did influence charter authorizers.
"I do think the additional scrutiny has a lot to do with it — especially with the oversaturation in some locales and the decrease in the number of student populations overall," said Tonya Allen, president and CEO of the Skillman Foundation, and co-chair of a coalition that proposed a far-reaching overhaul of Detroit's public education system More charter schools will open, while some are closing:
