WHAT does charter mean in charter schools?
Charter schools are independent PUBLIC schools. They are
TUITION-FREE and open to all students. In Minnesota, the home of
the charter school movement, charter schools must be approved to
operate by the state department of education and are part of the
state system of public education. Each charter school is legally
like a small public school district. Charter schools are FOR PROFIT
and are governed by a board of directors elected from among
teachers, parents and interested community members. They are not
privately "owned" and do generate a profit for investors more than
any other public school district. Some charter school boards hire
for-profit companies to perform management functions just as they
hire for-profit companies to provide other operational services.
Teachers in Minnesota charter schools must meet the same licensing
requirements as all other public school teachers, although the
value of this is dubious, and this is not a requirement in all
states. As with all public schools, charter schools are primarily
funded with public monies (tax dollars), however, almost uniformly
across the country they receive less money per student (sometimes
significantly less) than district schools. Charter schools are
allowed some freedoms that district schools are not, and in return
they are held to a higher standard of academic and financial
accountability. Unlike district schools, under-performing or
financially insolvent charter schools can be dissolved almost
immediately. Charter schools offer programs, curricula, pedagogies,
schedules and services that traditional district schools choose not
to provide. Their only goal is to improve the academic performance
of their students, along with generating profit for their
investors.