Does This Sound Like Unregulated Charter Schools

We keep hearing from the left that non-traditional Charter public schools are unregulated messes, free range cowboys. Now we find out that traditional public schools appear to be slightly less regulated than non-regulated Charter schools.

Interesting is it not.

The Michigan Association of Public School Academies has just informed us of the 13 rules and laws the association says charter schools in this state must follow. The Michigan Capital Confidential news site published those 13 regulations and they are as follows:

1. Michigan law requires a charter school to be closed if it is in the bottom 5 percent of state public schools in academic achievement three years in a row.

2. Charter school authorizers hold charter schools accountable to the requirements spelled out in a legally binding contract. The contract covers expectations and goals for the school.

3. Charter schools can limit enrollment based only on building capacity. Here's a list of some of the grounds upon which charters may not discriminate: a student’s previous academic performance, special needs, race and home address. If a charter school has more applicants than it has the capacity to serve, it must select its students by random, using a lottery.

4. Charter schools operate under the same legal requirements for providing special education services as any other public school.

5. Michigan charter schools must participate in standardized testing.

6. Michigan charter schools must hire state-certified teachers and administrators.

7. Michigan charter schools must evaluate their teachers and administrators each year.

8. Michigan charter schools must comply with the Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act.

9. Charter schools must post extensive financial information online.

10. Charter schools in Michigan have a tougher conflict of interest law than conventional counterparts. The law states that charters must prohibit any conflict between a public board member and a person or entity with which the board would contract. Conventional public school board members only have to recuse themselves from the vote. Charter school board members are prohibited from serving on the board when such a conflict occurs.

11. Michigan charter schools must pay for their own facilities out of money they receive from the state for operations. Unlike conventional public schools, they cannot ask voters to approve bonds or millages to pay for facilities, technology or anything else.

12. Michigan charter schools are legally defined as public school districts, which means that any law that applies to a conventional district automatically applies equally to them.

13. Michigan charter schools are organized by law under the Non-Profit Corporation Act. They are public schools and nonprofit entities.

Does that sound like Charter schools in Michigan are not regulated enough? In fact we find out that Charter schools in Michigan have a tougher conflict of interest law than their conventional counterparts. Why is that.

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