Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

madfloridian

(88,117 posts)
Fri May 8, 2015, 01:02 AM May 2015

Juan Gonzalez: Feds did not keep track of over 3 billion going to charter schools.

Posted in General Discussion for more visibility. Crossposting here.

Juan Gonzalez: Feds failed to keep tabs on $3B in aid doled out to charter schools

The federal government shelled out $3.3 billion over the past 20 years to launch new charter schools nationwide, yet failed to monitor how that money was used, a new report has found.

Federal spending to launch charter schools zoomed from a mere $4.5 million in 1995 to more than $253 million today, according to the Center for Media and Democracy, a liberal watchdog group — with President Obama now asking Congress for a whopping increase to $375 million for next year.

And that’s on top of billions of dollars state governments spend for charter school operations.

Yet the new report concludes there is “no systematic public accounting for how the federal budget allocated to charters is actually being spent,” and “major gaps in the law allowing waste and fraud.”

.....The U.S. Department of Education doesn’t even bother to keep a public record of which charter schools get money from more than a half-dozen federal programs, said Lisa Graves, director of the Center for Media and Democracy.
Her organization had to review thousands of pages of documents obtained through Freedom of Information Law requests before it could coming up with an initial tally of federal charter school spending.


This is money coming out of the public school coffers. The public school system is losing major resources, and yet more and more is being required of them.
7 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Juan Gonzalez: Feds did not keep track of over 3 billion going to charter schools. (Original Post) madfloridian May 2015 OP
Criminentles! Thanks, madfloridian. merrily May 2015 #1
the primary purpose of charter schools is fleecing taxpayers nt msongs May 2015 #2
The primary purpose of charter schools is breaking the teachers union. Fleecing taxpayers and ... Scuba May 2015 #3
Well, of course not ! That was the whole point ! eppur_se_muova May 2015 #4
Kick! FloriTexan May 2015 #5
And naturally all the people who scream about teacher raises are silent on this. Starry Messenger May 2015 #6
I will never understand why people have cared so little about the loss of public schools. madfloridian May 2015 #7

merrily

(45,251 posts)
1. Criminentles! Thanks, madfloridian.
Fri May 8, 2015, 01:09 AM
May 2015

Public school tax money, collected from us by force of law, going to private pockets.

Why should anyone keep track?

 

Scuba

(53,475 posts)
3. The primary purpose of charter schools is breaking the teachers union. Fleecing taxpayers and ...
Fri May 8, 2015, 03:11 AM
May 2015

... dumbing down America are tied for second.

eppur_se_muova

(37,432 posts)
4. Well, of course not ! That was the whole point !
Fri May 8, 2015, 08:38 AM
May 2015

The money was supposed to disappear quietly.

I'll bet the folks at the "Center for Media and Democracy" don't have any billionaire friends.

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Education»Juan Gonzalez: Feds did n...