California initiative would shut down charter schools
An organization called Voices Against Privatizing Education is working to shut down every charter school in California, calling them discriminatory and unconstitutional. Meanwhile, charters are so popular in the state that they have grown in number from 177 in 1998 to more than 1,230 in 2015.
The arguments being made against charter schools are the same arguments that have been made before: that they increase segregation and lack oversight. However, not only are these arguments incorrect, they are exactly the opposite of the truth of charter schools. Study after study has shown that school choice, including charter schools, isespecially beneficial to minority students. These options provide an education that is comparable to private school, but charge no tuition, so families from all walks of life send their children to these schools. School choice has also been much more successful than government initiatives when it comes to integration.
As for the argument that charter schools lack oversight, they actually have more than traditional public schools. “Charter schools get audited twice a year. We have a preliminary audit in May which looks at all our controls and how we run the school,” charter school principal Norman Hernandez told CBS Sacramento. “And then you have the financial audit that happens after the fiscal year closes.”
The organization would need to get more than 300,000 signatures for the question to California initiative would shut down charter schools - Watchdog.org: