Shawgi Tell explains why the push for public funding of charter schools is a mistake.
Charter schools are private entities. They are businesses first and foremost, not schools. Calling them “public” does not make them public in any way, shape, or form. They also remain private in character whether they are considered secular or religious, or non-profit or for-profit.
As private organizations, charter schools have no valid claim to public funds. Thus, for example, to assert that a secular charter school can receive public funds but a religious charter school cannot is to promote confusion.
The main reason charter schools are labelled “public” is to fool the gullible and to justify funneling billions of dollars a year from under-funded traditional public schools to privately-operated charter schools.
Last year, on May 22, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) delivered a 4-4 split ruling on the landmark case of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School v. Drummond, which originated in Oklahoma. The split decision left intact the lower court’s decision (in Oklahoma) that blocked the establishment of the online K-12 religious charter school. Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case due to her connection to forces promoting the creation of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School. In all likelihood, she will now preside over similar cases, probably swinging the vote in favor of permitting publicly-funded religious charter schools. A full bench bodes well for sectarian forces.
In recent weeks, the news has been filled with reports of new attempts to establish religious charter schools in different states, including, most notably, a Jewish online charter school in Oklahoma. To no one’s surprise, The Journal Record reported on February 11, 2026, that, “An Oklahoma state board on Monday rejected a proposal to open a Jewish charter school, likely restarting a legal fight over public funding of religious education.” Many religious and secular forces have opposed the creation of such a school as well. The case is expected to reach the SCOTUS.
According to EdWeek, the online religious charter school “projects opening in the fall of 2026 with 500 students and state funding of $2.6 million, growing to 1,500 students and funding of $8.3 million by 2030.” This means a loss of $11 million for traditional public schools. The real figure is likely higher.