Los Angeles: Charters Are Proliferating Where They Aren’t Needed
Earlier this year, LAUSD board member Scott Schmerelson revealed that 82% of the charter schools in Los Angeles have empty seats (no waiting lists).
Yet because of California’s charter-friendly environment, the privately managed schools continued to open.
A new report finds that charters in Los Angeles are proliferating where they are not needed.
The report points out that traditional school districts can’t build new schools when real or potential enrollment fails to justify expansion. But those rules don’t apply to charter schools, which can open anywhere and qualify for state funding or subsidies to build or lease facilities. The report says public funds helped open and sustain at least 450 charters in areas with plenty of existing classroom space.
“Paying for more schools than are needed wastes taxpayer dollars,” the report says. “Furthermore, an oversupply of schools serves to undermine the viability of any individual school.”
The latter argument has been made repeatedly by L.A. Unified officials, who say that rapid and widespread charter growth is one of several factors threatening the solvency of the nation’s second-largest school system.
The report’s lead researcher, Gordon Lafer, an associate CONTINUE READING: Los Angeles: Charters Are Proliferating Where They Aren’t Needed | Diane Ravitch's blog
