Charter schools have long been championed as a solution to public educations problems. Miami-Dade County Public Schools, or M-DCPS, certainly seems to think so, as the number of charter schools in the are growing by the year. Charter schools are basically publicly funded private schools. This means that, similar to private schools, charter schools don’t have to adhere to the same rules as public schools. Things like aspects of curriculum, graduation requirements, and who gets to attend are left to the charter school. But unlike private schools, charters schools get a cut of public school funding, essentially taking away money from public schools.
Charter schools were created as a means to diversify education. For example, to go to a specific public school you often have to live in a specific neighborhood. However, since charter schools don’t have to follow public school rules, they can accept students from anywhere. They can also diversify subject curriculum, leading to new developments in education.
Though this all seems great on paper, in reality it falls flat. In 2019 the National Education Association (a teachers union) ranked Florida 45 out of 100 points on managing charter schools. According to the SunSentinel, the state ranked “very poor” in oversight, one level above “abysmal.” Part of the reason Florida scored so poorly is because the state allows for-profit companies open charter schools, and these companies often turn schools into real estate plays. They do not care about the students as often charter schools hire uncertified teachers and mismanage the money the state gives them.
As a result mismanaged charter schools often suck up the budget from the rule abiding public schools. If you look at the map below you can see the charter schools (top) are often located in highly populated areas where there is a lot of public schools (bottom). While initially this might seem smart as it appears the charter schools are relieving the public schools of some students, in reality the charter schools are just taking a piece of the budget from the public schools that need it the most.
These charter schools aren’t mean to last long as from 2014-2019 over 40% of them have closed down, Then the students go back to the underfunded and overpopulated public school, while another charter school opens in it’s place. It’s a vicious cycle. Despite the constant closures, the number of charter schools are as high as ever, including the budget for them.
For the 2021 school year the charter school budget is as high as it has ever been. These schools aren’t deserving of the public schools budget and it is time to add more regulations or shut charter schools down completely.