Four Truths About For-Profit Charter Schools
2020 Democratic candidates taking a stand against for-profit charters is like bravely standing up in opposition to yeti attacks.
Democratic candidates have been steering away from supporting charter schools. For a further-left candidate like Bernie Sanders, a call to endcharter expansion is not far removed from his other anti-corporate positions. But even longtime education reformers like Cory Booker are backpedaling, talking about an end to “raiding public schools.” Others, like Pete Buttigieg, are trying to repeat the Hillary Clinton line of 2016, some variation of “I’m against for-profit charters, but nonprofit charter schools are just fine.” Since this is again part of the conversation, let’s review the ways in which this is a distinction without a difference.
1. For-Profit Charter Schools Are Rarer Than Unicorns
At the moment, Arizona is the only state in the country that allows for-profit charter schools. There were more, but for-profit charters established themselves as a target for regulation early on. Plus, it seemed obvious to many people that a for-profit charter school pitted the financial interests of its owners against the educational interests of its students. Taking a stand against for-profit charters is like standing up against yeti attacks.
So if for-profits are so rare, then why does a twitter search on #AnotherDayAnotherCharterScandal turn up so many examples of fraud and misbehavior?
2. It’s Pretty Easy to Profit from a Nonprofit Charter
Let’s say I want to get into the charter business. I set up Nonprofit Elementary School. Then I immediately outsource all the operational functions—teaching, cleaning, cafeteria—to a for-profit company. So-called “sweeps contracts” allowed charters to pass on almost every cent of collected tax dollars to a for-profit management company. In some cases, the for-profit can actually end up owning the assets purchased for the school with public dollars. In particularly striking cases, like that of Baker Mitchell in North Carolina, one individual can own the charter school and the companies serving the charter. In Florida, CONTINUE READING: Four Truths About For-Profit Charter Schools - Progressive.org
