Puerto Rico’s First Charter School

Charter schools were illegal in Puerto Rico, until now. ‘Vimenti’ is run by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico and has a comprehensive approach to education. In addition to rigorous academics, the school also does health screenings and even trains students’ parents for jobs. Teachers in this school make more than other public school teachers in Puerto Rico. But the government has faced a lot of opposition in allowing charter schools to operate on the island. Both teachers’ unions and many residents say this “privatizes” public education.