Yesterday in the K-12 Student Success Committee hearing, we heard testimony that both implied and explicitly said that Kansas should expand charter authorizers beyond districts. This study highlights some of our concerns.

“Four major policy concerns are identified:

1. A substantial share of public expenditure intended for the delivery of direct educational services to children is being extracted inadvertently or intentionally for personal or business financial gain, creating substantial inefficiencies;

2. Public assets are being unnecessarily transferred to private hands, at public expense, risking the future provision of “public” education;

3. Charter school operators are growing highly endogenous, self-serving private entities built on funds derived from lucrative management fees and rent extraction which further compromise the future provision of “public” education; and

4. Current disclosure requirements make it unlikely that any related legal violations, ethical concerns, or merely bad policies and practices are not realized until clever investigative reporting, whistleblowers or litigation brings them to light.”

Read more here: http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/charter-revenue