Answer Sheet Analysis
By Valerie Strauss
By Carol Burris
“The California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) today celebrated a ban on for-profit charter schools throughout California, after Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill (AB) 406.”
That was headline news on the website of the California Charter Schools Association, the wealthiest and most powerful charter lobby in the United States. Is this bill banning for-profit charters a true cause for celebration, or is it a carefully crafted bill that in the end will have little effect?
Assembly Bill 406, no matter how well intended, will not shut down California’s for-profit schools anytime soon. In some ways, it may make matters worse by obscuring the reality of what many charter schools are — schools run by private corporations that receive public funding with insufficient oversight and supervision. And whether they are for-profit or nonprofit, there will still be ample opportunity in the charter sector for profiteers to take advantage of the public treasure and trust.
To read the rest of Carol’s piece, click here.
