by David Safier
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I like the idea of charter schools, and I'm a big fan of the best charter schools. But I'm not a fan of Arizona's charter school system.
Our economy is in a tailspin, the disastrous results of runaway free market capitalism. The invisible hand of the marketplace that is supposed to correct its own excesses has failed. Alan Greenspan has said, "I was wrong." Phil Gramm has crept away and hidden in a dark corner somewhere to count his money. And those who talk about the need for stringent, intelligent regulation of the marketplace are making a long-needed comeback.
But we're not making the connection between conservative-based runaway free market capitalism and the attempts by the same conservatives to bring the unregulated free market model to education. The extreme form of free market education is vouchers, where families are given tax dollars to spend at the schools of their choice, many of them private schools which operate outside the regulatory system of public education. The less extreme but still dangerous form is the under-regulated charter school system which we have here in Arizona.
Charter schools are public schools, but they are free from most of the regulation and accountability imposed on traditional public schools. Really, just about the only thing charters have to do is make their students take state tests. Otherwise, they spend their money with only the most minimal accounting, they hire teachers who may or may not have credentials, and they have few if any visitors from the Department of Education checking in to see if they are making reasonable attempts at educating their students.
Many charter schools don't need more regulation and oversight. They have hard working owners and dedicated staff. They're doing a great job without anyone's help. In those cases, additional regulatory precautions are unnecessary but probably not harmful. But Arizona's charter school history is littered with mismanaged schools, sometimes run by people who kept tax dollars for themselves that were intended for their students' educations. For all we know, there are dozens of schools like that in operation right now. But we don't know for sure, because nobody's checking. We're letting that "invisible hand of the marketplace" work its magic. But those of us older than ten years old know that magic is done with smoke, mirrors and sleight of hand. When it's performed for a willing audience, it's fun. When it's inflicted on us by scoundrels, it's dangerous.
Soon I'll be telling the story of a charter school in Maricopa County that is a textbook case of the things that can go wrong when the agencies that should regulate charter schools don't regulate, hoping things will somehow magically work themselves out without government interference. The school had been in operation for about eight years until it closed this June. It was run by a man whose schools in California were closed in 2005 after it was found he was skimming millions of taxpayer dollars off the top. Its principal retained her job for years after it was found she didn't report child molestation charges against a teacher who happened to be her son. Neither she nor her son have teaching credentials.
It's probably the most sensationalistic story I'll ever tell on this blog, but it's all documented in newspapers — "Ripped From Today's Headlines!" as the announcer says ominously in those types of TV shows. I'll be telling it at length and in detail as a cautionary tale about the kinds of abuses that happen when you give unscrupulous people carte blanche to run schools on taxpayer money.
Discover more from Blog for Arizona
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I am so happy that someone is pointing out that charter schools in this state are open for graft and corruption. Unlike all other governmental entities that spend taxpayer dollars, charter schools do not need to go through a three bid process when awarding a contract. Their school boards are picked by the charter owner. The owner can buy property with taxpayer money, and it is put in their name. If the charter school is closed the property does not revert to the state but instead it goes to the charter owner. It has already happened where charter owners have become rich by selling the property after closing the school. One charter school even bought 2 time shares in Orlando, Fla with our tax money. The time shares are in in the name of the charter owner. The reason given for the need of these time shares was the kids needed a place to stay when field trips are taken to Disney World. Right!
Charter schools are the biggest scam ever perpetrated on taxpayers in Arizona and it is all legal. I know. I tried to prosecute this behavior as a state prosecutor but found out it was legal. Why is the right wing not screaming about this? Because they want to destroy our traditional public schools and enrich themselves all at the sametime. God forbid that we should have an educated public because if we did, this type of fraud would not be tolerated. So thank you for writing about this.
I would like to point out that free market capitalism isn’t the problem with the economy. Government bailouts of private enterprise may be accurately called crony capitalism but don’t call it free market capitalism – please.
When the bankers are subsidized through government loans that is no invisible hand that I have ever heard of.
And when it comes to the marketplace in primary and secondary education in the US has been distorted by government spending for a long time.
I will also state that I am not a fan of charter schools. Where charter schools are good they will be pretty good. Where charter schools are bad they will be used as an excuse to engage in regulation of charter schools (whether needed or not).