{"id":517208,"date":"2022-02-17T16:02:51","date_gmt":"2022-02-17T16:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dissidentvoice.org\/?p=126691"},"modified":"2022-02-17T16:02:51","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T16:02:51","slug":"elusive-transparency-in-charter-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2022\/02\/17\/elusive-transparency-in-charter-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Elusive Transparency In Charter Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even though they make up less than 7% of all schools in the U.S., every year hundreds of news articles highlight the persistent lack of transparency and accountability in the crisis-prone charter school sector.<\/p>\n

Even worse, everyone is under pressure to stand passively on the sidelines and watch as these outsourced privatized schools, which siphon billions of dollars a year from public schools, operate with impunity.<\/p>\n

Nearly 31 years after they first appeared in the U.S., privately-operated charter schools remain immune to pro-social reform and are plagued by endless problems. Ceaseless reports from the mainstream press and the alternative press on the lack of charter school transparency and accountability have not translated into meaningful and lasting reforms. Governments at all levels have failed to defend the public interest and reign in charter schools. More charter schools equal less money, fewer facilities, and diminished authority for the public schools that educate 90% of the nation\u2019s youth. Far from solving any problems, school privatization has created new problems and exacerbated existing ones.<\/p>\n

Chalkbeat<\/em> recently reported that Some Newark charter schools fail to fully comply with transparency rules<\/a>. In reality more than just \u201cSome Newark charter schools fail to fully comply with transparency rules.\u201d Every state with charter schools has many charter schools, not just \u201csome,\u201d that abdicate basic responsibilities. And if past experience is any indication, accountability and transparency will remain elusive in the charter school sector for years to come.<\/p>\n

One of the main ways charter schools in New Jersey and elsewhere evade openness and honesty is by not informing parents or the community about certain meetings and events even though open-meeting laws require such public announcements in a timely fashion. This is one of the many ways privately-operated charter schools differ from public schools even though they are called public schools. Privately-operated charter schools are frequently not open or forthright about their activities and leave the public out of the equation. Many charter schools in Newark and elsewhere do not even post updated and recent meeting minutes on their website. Chalkbeat <\/em>reports that:<\/p>\n

Shannon Francis Esannason, whose son is in eighth grade at one of the group\u2019s [charter] schools [in Newark], said she had no idea the board met last week. The meeting was not advertised on the school\u2019s Facebook page, Instagram account, or calendar, and Francis Esannason said she did not receive an email notice. \u201cThey don\u2019t invite us to the meetings,\u201d she said. \u201cIt would be nice to know what\u2019s going on.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

New Jersey law requires charter schools to post \u201cboard meeting minutes online and releasing agendas at least 48 hours before public meetings.\u201d In a review of numerous charter school websites, Chalkbeat<\/em> found that:<\/p>\n

many Newark charter schools had not posted the agendas or minutes of recent board meetings. By contrast, Newark\u2019s traditional school district publishes detailed meeting agendas and minutes online, as well as videos of every board meeting.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When Chalkbeat<\/em> reviewed the websites of Newark\u2019s 17 charter schools it discovered many problems with transparency and information accuracy. Here is a short list:<\/p>\n