Why Pennsylvania Has a Serious Charter School Problem
It's apparently state law that the charter schools get money or nobody does.
As we noted, Kevin Johnson, husband of education "reform" hustler Michelle Rhee, has decided he doesn't want to be mayor of Sacramento anymore because the world has grown cold and mean. This, of course, does not mean the education "reform" grifting gravy train that has made the missus so wealthy doesn't roll merrily on in places like, oh, say Pennsylvania, where new Governor Tom Wolf is facing plaintive appeals from various public school districts that have no more money.
During a stop in Pittsburgh, Wolf told reporters that while he understands school districts are struggling financially, he cannot authorize payments to them until a new spending plan is in place, said spokesman Jeff Sheridan. The state has been operating without a fiscal blueprint since July 1, holding up critical state aid to public schools, counties, and nonprofits that provide social services. "We'd like to get them a final budget that fully invests in education," Sheridan said Tuesday. Wolf's comments came a day after the Erie school district asked the governor's office for a $47 million, no-interest advance so that it could keep its doors open without taking out bank loans.
Wolf is still trying to dig out from the sinkhole left where Pennsylvania used to be before it elected his predecessor, Tom Corbett, and is trying to do so with a Republican state legislature. There have been budget proposals and vetoes, and the mess has now dragged on for five bloody months with no end in sight. What does this all have to do with education "reform"? Glad you asked.
Adding to the financial strain on school districts, the Department of Education has said it will withhold portions of gambling revenue to those school districts that have stopped making payments to charter schools because of the impasse. The gambling money - the only state money flowing to districts during the stalemate - is normally used by districts for property-tax relief. Education officials are now skimming off a portion of that funding to pay charters. In a statement,Why Pennsylvania Has a Serious Charter School Problem:
