"Those shortfalls have cost the state, which has seen recent cases of fraud and other improper spending by certain charter school networks. San Diego prosecutors said a lack of charter oversight was prominent in the A3 charter school fraud scandal of 2019, in whichA3 operators used their charter network to steal $400 million of state school funding via illegitimate practices."
"The premise of charters is that they get more operating freedom than traditional public school districts do in exchange for higher accountability. To open, they have to get approved by an authorizer - most often a school district, sometimes a county education office or the state Board of Education. The authorizer is in charge of vetting the charter school's petition to open, handling oversight of the charter to ensure it performs and follows its charter."
California has long-standing weaknesses in charter school oversight, with two decades of warnings and little change to laws or policies governing accountability of operating charter schools. Inadequate oversight has enabled fraud and improper spending, including the A3 network's 2019 scheme that diverted $400 million in state school funding. Oversight gaps include unclear standards and insufficient funding for authorizers responsible for approving petitions, monitoring performance and compliance, and deciding charter renewals. Recommendations emphasize setting clearer, higher standards for authorizers, increasing resources for oversight, and strengthening mechanisms to hold charter operators accountable during operation.
Read at The Mercury News
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