Oklahoma: For-Profit Online Charter Chain Gobbles Up Rural Districts
Oklahoma has underfunded its public schools over the past decade. Many districts have switched to a four-day week to save money.
Some rural districts, facing insolvency, are turning their schools over to Epic, a for-profit online charter chain, which can balance the books by putting kids online and cutting teachers’ jobs.
Like all online charter schools, EPIC overstates its “gains” while its actual results are less than mediocre.
“To save his financially imperiled school district, Panola Superintendent Brad Corcoran in 2017 pitched a plan to convert the traditional public district into a charter school.
“In becoming a charter, Panola Public Schools would turn over its management to a company affiliated with Epic Charter Schools, the largest online school in the state. The school board agreed.
“The Epic-related firm contributed $100,000 toward Panola’s debt as part of the agreement. That company manages the small district for a more than 10 percent cut of its funding. Panola’s high school students now have the option to attend most classes online from home.
“The deal was unprecedented. Not only was it one of the first conversions-to-charter in the state, it allowed Epic’s company to operate a school and gain many benefits denied other charter schools: It could tap into and spend local property tax revenue to cover costs of student transportation, school buildings and sports facilities, like traditional school districts.
“And Epic didn’t stop at Panola….”
Epic has 23,000 in Oklahoma and it is growing in California as well.
”Trice Butler, superintendent of Wilburton Public Schools, which neighbors Panola, said she is concerned that Epic CONTINUE READING: Oklahoma: For-Profit Online Charter Chain Gobbles Up Rural Districts | Diane Ravitch's blog