CALIFORNIA CHARTER SCHOOLS
CALIFORNIA'S NEWEST CORPORATE WELFARE QUEENS
In California, we love our corporate welfare queens. We've got Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and now, we've got charter schools. That's right, folks, charter schools are the newest addition to California's elite group of welfare recipients.
But what are charter schools, you ask? Well, they're basically private schools that receive public funding. And boy, do they receive a lot of funding. In fact, in the 2019-2020 school year, charter schools received $1.2 billion in state funding for facilities. That's more than double what traditional public schools received. Talk about unfair advantage.
And what are these charter schools doing with all this money? Building lavish facilities, of course. Because nothing says "quality education" like a marble foyer and a swimming pool.
But let's not forget about the poor public schools for BIPOC students. They're struggling to meet the needs of their students while charter schools are living it up with their fancy facilities. It's like the Hunger Games, but instead of districts fighting to the death, it's public schools fighting for scraps while charter schools feast on caviar.
And let's not even get started on the segregation and division that charter schools promote. Rich, white private and charter schools for the privileged few, and poor public schools for everyone else. It's like a modern-day caste system.
But don't worry, folks, the proponents of charter schools have an answer for all of this. They say the funding is necessary to ensure that charter schools have access to the same resources as traditional public schools. Hmm, I don't remember my public school having a helipad.
And let's not forget about the lack of transparency when it comes to charter school finances. They're not required to disclose their financial information to the public in the same way that traditional public schools are. It's like they're hiding something. Maybe they're using all that money to build a secret underground lair.
So what can California do to fix this mess? Well, for starters, we can stop giving so much money to charter schools. Let them fend for themselves like the rest of us. And we can also demand more transparency when it comes to their finances. If they're receiving public funding, we have a right to know where that money is going.
In conclusion, California charter schools are the newest addition to our elite group of corporate welfare queens. They're building lavish facilities while public schools struggle to meet the needs of their students. They promote segregation and division and lack transparency when it comes to their finances. It's time for California to stop playing favorites and start holding charter schools accountable. Otherwise, we might as well rename our state "Corporationland."
Opinion: Mia Bonta bill attacks charter school construction funding - The Mercury News https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/05/25/opinion-mia-bonta-bill-attacks-charter-school-construction-funding via @GoogleNews
The Charter School Facilities Program (CSFP) was enacted in 2002 by Assembly Bill 14, amended by Senate Bill 15 and Assembly Bill 16, and funded through Proposition 47 ($100 million), Proposition 55 ($300 million), Proposition 1D ($500 million), and Proposition 51 ($500 million) for the purposes of constructing, acquiring, or renovating new facilities for site-based charter school students throughout California². Under California law, the Charter School Facilities Program authorizes the State Allocation Board to provide per-pupil facilities grant funding for 50% of the total project cost for new construction or renovation of charter facilities¹.
The CSFP is jointly administered by the CSFA and the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC)². The CSFP 2022 Filing Round is now open. The application filing period will close on June 3, 2022. No late applications will be accepted. Applicants must apply with the Office of Public School Construction and the Charter School Finance Authority to qualify for funding².
(1) CSFA Charter School Facilities Program - California State Treasurer. https://www.treasurer.ca.gov/csfa/charter.asp.
(2) Funding Options | Local Initiatives Support Corporation. https://www.lisc.org/charter-schools/funding-options/state/california/.
(3) Access Charter School Facilities Funding - DGS. https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OPSC/Services/Page-Content/Office-of-Public-School-Construction-Services-List-Folder/Obtain-Charter-School-Facilities-Funding.
(4) About the California School Finance Authority (CSFA). https://www.treasurer.ca.gov/csfa/.
