Monday, October 19, 2026

CHARTER SCHOOLS: THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING… HEADACHES


CHARTER SCHOOLS: THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING… HEADACHES


Here's a satirical op-ed built on the documented record: audits, comptroller reports, and enforcement announcements. The jokes are aimed at the system and its incentives. They aren't aimed at the many charter teachers and families who are doing honest work.

The Pitch vs. The Paperwork

The brochure promises "innovation," "choice," and "freedom from bureaucracy." The audit reports promise something else: freedom from receipts.

Charter schools are publicly funded. They run on your property taxes, your state aid, and your federal dollars. Somewhere along the way, a lot of them were also granted a magical exemption from the question every other taxpayer-funded entity has to answer: "Where did the money go?"

Public schools get a school board meeting, a public budget hearing, and a stack of compliance forms. Some charters get a glossy mailer and a management contract nobody can find.

The Greatest Hits (All From Official Sources)

Every item below comes from a state audit, a comptroller investigation, or a prosecutor's announcement. Indictments are allegations, not convictions.

  • California, Highlands Community Charter: The State Auditor found more than $180 million in funding the schools weren't eligible to receive. Annual audits were already happening. Apparently they were the decorative kind.
  • California, the A3 Education case: Legislative materials describe alleged inflated and duplicated enrollment tied to more than $400 million in state funds. Somewhere, a very efficient spreadsheet was working overtime.
  • New Jersey, College Achieve: The management organization took in $57 million from three schools. Its fee was 14–15% of revenue. The CEO's compensation was $795,515 in a single year. The comptroller also cited unaccounted-for cash and related-party purchases. Some records were withheld even after subpoenas. That's a plot twist you'd expect from a streaming thriller, not an education agency.
  • Ohio, Westside Academy: A former business manager was indicted over more than $400,000 in alleged unauthorized payments and personal purchases. The school credit card was apparently very enthusiastic about shopping.
  • Ohio, Par Excellence Academy: The auditor issued a $57,475.27 finding for recovery, mostly for improper credit-card purchases. They even tracked the cents. Accountability can be done.
  • Arizona, Academy del Sol: The attorney general filed felony charges in September 2026 against a former executive director, his wife, and a former office administrator. The allegations include theft and forgery. The defendants are presumed innocent.
  • Pennsylvania, cyber charters: An Auditor General review found five cyber charters grew their combined reserves by $365 million (144%) in three years. The cause was an outdated funding formula, not theft. Still, that's a rainy-day fund for a very sunny business model.

The Math Problem Nobody Wants to Do

Here's the part that rarely makes the brochure. When a student leaves a district school, some funding leaves too. The school's heating bill, bus routes, bond payments, and building maintenance stay put. Economists call these stranded fixed costs. Superintendents call them "Tuesday."

Brookings estimated short-run burdens of roughly $500 per remaining student in Durham, North Carolina, and $700–$900 in two New York districts. These were 2018 estimates, and the size varies by state.

Indianapolis shows the pattern today. The district faces a budget gap above $60 million, and a referendum would still leave about $20 million unfilled. State law requires sharing some of the new revenue with eligible charters.

Running two systems on one budget is a bit like hosting two weddings on one catering bill and wondering why the cake is small.

So Why Do the Billionaires Love Them?

I'll stay with the record here and not claim more than it shows. What it shows is this:

  • Management fees are a percentage of public revenue. More students and more revenue mean more fees.
  • Related-party leases and contracts can move public money to affiliated companies.
  • Policy fights over authorizer caps, loose oversight, and vouchers are heavily funded by donors and advocacy groups. Model bills like ALEC's show how these frameworks spread. A model bill isn't proof that any one state adopted it, though.
  • Wealthy donors often frame privatization as "choice." It's fair to ask who profits from the choice.

Supporters will say many charters are nonprofit, many families sincerely want alternatives, and some schools deliver real results. That's true. It's also an argument for strong oversight, not against it. Good schools have nothing to fear from an audit.

What To Do in November

The fix isn't mysterious. Ask every candidate these questions:

  1. Will you require independent verification of enrollment and attendance?
  2. Will you require public disclosure of management contracts, executive pay, and related-party deals?
  3. Will you support transitional funding for districts hit by stranded costs?
  4. Will you oppose vouchers that move public money into private hands without public accountability?
  5. Will you give state auditors the authority and staff to follow up when problems are found?

Public money should come with public rules, public meetings, and public receipts. If a school is spending your tax dollars, you should be able to see where they went.

This November, vote for candidates who fund public schools with public dollars, and who demand that every dollar answer to the public.

Sources: California State Auditor Report 2024-106; NJ Office of the State Comptroller (Jan. 2026); Ohio Auditor of State; Arizona Attorney General; Pennsylvania Auditor General (Feb. 2025); Brookings; Axios Indianapolis (Oct. 7, 2026). Allegations and indictments remain unproven until adjudicated.




Verified Sources (California, Highlands)

🔎 Other Sources to Look Up

I haven't verified these exact links, so search each site for the report named.

Claim in the articleWhere to find it
College Achieve ($57M, 14–15% fee, CEO pay)NJ Office of the State Comptroller, nj.gov/comptroller (January 2026 report)
Westside Academy and Par Excellence Academy (Ohio)Ohio Auditor of State, ohioauditor.gov (news releases, May and November 2025)
Academy del Sol (Arizona charges)Arizona Attorney General, azag.gov (September 2026 announcement)
Pennsylvania cyber charter reserves ($365M, 144%)PA Auditor General, paauditor.gov (February 2025 performance audit)
A3 Education case (more than $400M alleged)California Senate Education Committee analysis of AB 84 (2025), sedn.senate.ca.gov
Stranded-cost estimates ($500 and $700–$900 per student)Brookings Institution, brookings.edu (2018 analysis)
Indianapolis budget gapAxios Indianapolis, October 7, 2026
California funding and enrollment trendsLegislative Analyst's Office (May 2026), lao.ca.gov; CA Department of Education principal apportionment data, cde.ca.gov
New York executive pay cap (A1992)NY State Senate bill search, nysenate.gov

⚠️ Notes on the Sources

  • Highlands has an update. The newer reporting says the school has implemented all 18 audit recommendations, but their effectiveness hasn't been independently tested . The article describes the original 2025 findings , which is accurate. Adding a line on the follow-up would make it fairer.
  • Indictments and charges are allegations. The Ohio and Arizona cases are unproven until adjudicated.
  • ALEC's model legislation is not proof of adoption. No state has been shown to have adopted it in the article's claims.
  • The "billionaire" and "oligarchy" framing is opinion. The sources document specific audits and funding disputes. They don't establish donor motives, so that part of the article is commentary.



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