US DEPT. OF EDUCATION SENDS MISSOURI CHARTER SCHOOL CHAIN A 36 MILLION STARTUP MONEY BOMB
In a move that has left Missouri public schools reeling, the Biden Department of Education has sent a charter school startup money bomb to the Opportunity Trust education reform group in St. Louis. With $35.6 million in federal grant money, the Opportunity Trust plans to open 16 charter schools over the next five years, serving an additional 5,000 students.
While some may see this as a positive step towards improving education in Missouri, others are concerned that the proliferation of charter schools will only hasten the destruction of the state's public school system. But let's be real, who needs public schools when you can have charter schools, right?
Charter schools are publicly funded but operate independently of school districts, which means they get all the benefits of public funding without any pesky oversight. And who doesn't love a good loophole?
The Opportunity Trust is a nonprofit intermediary that is committed to bringing about transformative, system-level change in education in St. Louis. But let's be honest, with $35.6 million in federal grant money, they could probably bring about transformative, system-level change in just about anything. Can we get some of that money for a nonprofit intermediary dedicated to bringing about transformative, system-level change in our Netflix binges?
But back to the charter schools. The Department of Education awards Charter Schools Program (CSP) grants to help open new charter schools or replicate and expand high-quality charter schools. And let's be real, what's more high-quality than a school that operates with minimal oversight and accountability?
The CSP has provided more than $6 billion to charters since its inception 27 years ago. That's a lot of money for schools that are supposed to be operating independently of school districts. But hey, who needs accountability when you have federal funding?
During Biden's term, the U.S. Department of Education has requested and received $440 million from Congress for the CSP grant every fiscal year. That's a lot of money for schools that are supposed to be independent. It's almost like they're not really independent at all.
But don't worry, the government has done its due diligence. GAO's analysis found that charter schools that received CSP awards closed at lower rates than similar charter schools that did not receive an award between fiscal years 2006 and 2020. So, if you're worried about your charter school closing down, just make sure you get a CSP award.
However, about 14 percent of charter schools that received CSP State awards closed or never opened between fiscal years 2006 and 2020. But hey, that's just 638 schools that received about $152 million (8 percent) of the approximately $2 billion provided in CSP State awards during that period. That's not so bad, right?
In all seriousness, the proliferation of charter schools is a serious issue that deserves more scrutiny. While some charter schools may be successful, many have failed due to academic or financial issues. And let's not forget that charter schools siphon off resources from public schools, which are already struggling to provide quality education to students.
So, while the Opportunity Trust may be committed to bringing about transformative, system-level change in education in St. Louis, let's hope they're also committed to ensuring that all students have access to quality education, regardless of whether they attend a charter school or a public school. Because at the end of the day, education is too important to be left to chance. Or to federal funding loopholes.
St. Louis charter group wins $35 million grant to open new schools across Missouri https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/st-louis-charter-group-wins-35-million-grant-to-open-new-schools-across-missouri/article_ad4a5cd4-5f05-11ee-b15b-77f7121a9a94.html
Our Investors - The Opportunity Trust https://theopportunitytrust.org/our-investors/
THE DEFT DIVE
The federal funding for charter schools by the year, based on the web search results I found.
- - Charter schools are publicly funded, semi-autonomous schools of choice that are governed by independent organizations².
- - The Department of Education awards Charter Schools Program (CSP) grants to help open new charter schools or replicate and expand high-quality charter schools, among other things².
- - The CSP has provided more than $6 billion to charters since its inception 27 years ago⁴.
- - The CSP has several grant programs, such as the State Educational Agencies/State Entities (CSP State) program, which is the largest one¹².
- - The CSP State program provides funds to states to award subgrants to eligible applicants to open and prepare for the operation of new charter schools, replicate high-quality charter schools, or expand high-quality charter schools¹.
- - The table below shows the funding for new awards and continuation awards for the CSP State program from fiscal year 2017 to fiscal year 2022³.
| Fiscal Year | Funding for New Awards | Funding for Continuation Awards |
| FY 2022 | $60,202,659 | $154,894,184 |
| FY 2021 | $0 | $220,842,582 |
| FY 2020 | $81,696,397 | $132,251,030 |
| FY 2019 | $25,840,123 | $190,756,628 |
| FY 2018 | $77,790,768 | $120,005,992 |
| FY 2017 | $144,680,792 | $17,864,270 |
- - During Biden's term, the U.S. Department of Education has requested and received $440 million from Congress for the CSP grant every fiscal year⁵. That request is in line with the expanded federal funding under former President Donald Trump, which steadily increased from $342 million in 2017 to $440 million by 2020⁵.
- - GAO's analysis found that charter schools that received CSP awards closed at lower rates than similar charter schools that did not receive an award between fiscal years 2006 and 2020². For example, within five years after receiving CSP awards, CSP-recipient charters schools were about 1.5 times less likely to close than similar non-CSP charter schools—with an estimated 1.4 percent and 2.3 percent closing, respectively².
- - However, about 14 percent of charter schools (638 schools) that received CSP State awards closed or never opened between fiscal years 2006 and 2020². These 638 schools received about $152 million (8 percent) of the approximately $2 billion provided in CSP State awards during that period².
Bing, 9/30/2023
- (1) K-12 Education: Charter Schools That Received Federal Funding to Open .... https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-105616.
- (2) Explained: What Is the Federal Charter Schools Program? - Ed Post. https://www.edpost.com/explainer/explained-what-is-the-federal-charter-schools-program.
- (3) Charter School Programs - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/charter-school-programs/.
- (4) Funding and Legislation - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/charter-school-programs/state-entities/funding-and-legislation/.
- (5) Charter school funding remains steady for second year under Biden. https://www.k12dive.com/news/charter-school-funding-flat-under-Biden-FY-23/640509/.
- (6) undefined. https://charterschoolcenter.ed.gov/.
- (7) undefined. https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/MZm4W2G/charterconnection.
- (8) undefined. https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USED/subscriber/new.
