New US Rules for Charter School Financing Face Pushback

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New US Rules for Charter School Financing Face Pushback

President Joe Biden's administration is considering new rules on federal financing of public charter schools.

Charter schools are different from traditional public schools. They operate similarly to private schools, but still receive money from the government.

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools says that charter schools are a public "school of choice." They are free to attend like other public schools.

Charters are given more freedom than traditional public schools in operations and development of curriculum. They are not governed by local school boards and are free from many state and local regulations. To get permission to operate, a school must establish a "charter," promising¹ to meet certain academic standards.

The federal Charter Schools Program gives money for the planning and design of new charter schools, also called startups.

The administration's proposed new rules would not affect existing charter schools. But new charter schools seeking federal money would have to meet new requirements. For example, the federal government would give priority to charter schools that work with local school districts.

The new rules also would block for-profit charter schools from receiving government financing. For-profit charter schools are controversial because they are operated by for-profit companies. The Biden administration has been very critical of for-profit charter schools, arguing that public money should not go to for-profit companies.

Supporters of charter schools say it is good they have more freedom in what and how to teach. But critics argue that charter schools should be supervised by state and local governments. They also argue that public money for charter schools takes such support away from traditional public schools.

The administration is requiring new charter schools to prove there is demand for their school. They also need to prove they would not worsen school segregation², a major criticism of charter schools. A 2017 study by The Associated Press found that 17 percent of charter schools are made up of at least 99 percent minority students. Just 4 percent of traditional public schools are 99 percent minority students.

Opponents of the new rules for the federal Charter Schools program say they would limit charter school growth. They argue that the new requirements are too difficult to meet.

But Assistant Education Secretary Roberto Rodríguez argued that there should be more supervision³ of how charter schools are funded. In an interview with Chalkbeat last week, he said that 15 percent of charter schools that received federal start-up money never opened. He said that cost the federal government $174 million.

The Washington Post editorial board published an article in April critical of the administration's new rules, calling them a "sneak⁴ attack." It argues that the rules are "designed to squelch⁵ charter growth."

Nina Rees is the president of the National Alliance. She said, "Traditional schools may be under-enrolled, but parents are looking for more than just a seat for their child. They want high quality seats."

Rees' organization says charters currently enroll⁶ more than 3.4 million students. That number represents about seven percent of all public school students.

Charter schools have support across political parties. Research has also shown they have improved over the last several years, and sometimes outperform traditional publics. But many charters also have had mixed success.

Religious charters?

An upcoming decision by the Supreme⁷ Court could also change how charter schools operate.

Many states, like Maine, offer "voucher⁸" programs. This is a program in which the government provides money, or vouchers⁹, to families for attendance at a private school of their choice. Private schools are not operated by the government and cost money to attend.

A law in Maine challenged in the Supreme Court makes it illegal for families to use the money to attend a private school that is religion-based.

That could lead all states with voucher programs to include religious schools. It is illegal in the United States for the government to directly fund religious schools and other religious institutions because of the separation of church and state in the U.S. constitution.

Legal scholars say that raises the question of if religious schools are included in voucher programs, could religious schools be included in charter programs? Religious schools' enrollment¹⁰ has decreased in recent years. They may see religious charters as a way to increase enrollment again.

Some legal experts say that because charter schools are not officially operated by the government, they should be permitted to be religious.

A paper in the conservative Manhattan Institute for Policy Research argues "religious charter schools are not only constitutionally permissible¹¹ in most states... but where they are permissible, they may not be prohibited."

But charter schools in most states are still defined as "public," meaning they cannot be religious. And many supporters of charter schools hope that they remain non-religious.

"The bottom line is: Charter schools, as public schools, can never be religious institutions," Rees said in Chalkbeat. "And anyone who says differently is flat-out wrong."

Words in This Story

curriculum— n. the courses that are taught by a school, college, etc.

regulation — n. an official rule or law that says how something should be done

standard — n. a level of quality, achievement, etc., that is considered acceptable or desirable

priority — n. something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first

sneak — adj. done while others are not paying attention

squelch— v. to stop from continuing by doing or saying something

enrollment — n. a policy or process by which parents may send their children to a different public school than the one in their own community

segregation — n. the practice or policy of keeping people of different races, religions, etc., separate from each other

institution — n. an established organization

prohibit — v. to order someone not to use or do something

1 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

2 segregation   

n.隔离，种族隔离

参考例句：

• Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
• They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。

3 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

4 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

5 squelch   

v.压制，镇压；发吧唧声

参考例句：

• The President wants to squelch any perception that the meeting is an attempt to negotiate.总统想要消除任何视本次会议为谈判尝试的看法。
• You cannot squelch wanting.你不能压制要求。

6 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

7 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

8 voucher   

n.收据；传票；凭单，凭证

参考例句：

• The government should run a voucher system.政府应该施行凭证制度。
• Whenever cash is paid out,a voucher or receipt should be obtained.无论何时只要支付现金，就必须要有一张凭据或者收据。

9 vouchers   

n.凭证( voucher的名词复数 )；证人；证件；收据

参考例句：

• These vouchers are redeemable against any future purchase. 这些优惠券将来购物均可使用。
• This time we were given free vouchers to spend the night in a nearby hotel. 这一次我们得到了在附近一家旅馆入住的免费券。 来自英语晨读30分（高二）

10 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

11 permissible   

adj.可允许的，许可的

参考例句：

• Is smoking permissible in the theatre?在剧院里允许吸烟吗？
• Delay is not permissible,even for a single day.不得延误，即使一日亦不可。