Who's in Charge at Charter Schools?

Six Criteria for Ensuring the Quality of Governing Boards

By Greg Richmond

As the deadline for round two of the federal Race to the Top grant competition loomed in May, the New York state legislature passed a contentious bill that symbolizes the nation’s hopes and fears for the charter school movement. New York raised the cap on the number of charter schools allowed in the state from 200 to 460, expanding future educational opportunities for thousands of children. And it prohibited new charter schools from hiring for-profit companies to manage those schools, thus constricting the range of the new opportunities.

Opponents of charter schools have long highlighted abuses by a small number of for-profit management companies as a reason to oppose all charter schools. And proponents of charters have too often looked the other way or perpetuated policies that have allowed these abuses to continue.

The award for the most breathtaking abuse in the nation surely belongs to Ohio. In 2006, the Ohio legislature enacted a law that allows a management company to fire the charter school governing board to which it supposedly reports and to replace that board with individuals who are more to its liking. This law turns the concept of accountability on its head. Yet the White Hat Management company is currently doing just that, taking action to remove the boards of 10 charter schools, presumably to prevent those boards...