Legislators React To Charter School Spending Report

A state House Democrat and member of the House appropriations committee says the state and federal government needs to do better monitor how money is allocated to charter schools in light of a new report released Wednesday by the Wisconsin-based Center for Media and Democracy.

The report found at least $1.7 million in federal funds was paid under the federal Charter Schools Program to 25 Michigan charter schools that never opened in 2011 and 2012.

And that 108 charter schools in Michigan closed after receiving more than $1 million in grants due to poor results, a lack of inadequate resources, or both.

State Representative Sarah Roberts of St. Clair Shores says that shows a need for the feds to better monitor the money they’re doling out to charter schools, and for charter schools themselves to be more accountable to the communities they are serving.

The report also found that a private company hired by the federal government alerted the U.S. Department of Education that some schools were receiving grants and not opening, but the department took no meaningful action.

Michigan has more than 300 charter schools that educated 141,094 students in 2014-15.

The number of charter schools and enrollment has doubled since 2000.