Teachers unions have led the opposition to charter schools because they say the privately run but publicly funded campuses lack accountability and take critical resources away from traditional public schools. And President Trump’s appointment of Betsy DeVos, a Michigan billionaire who poured her fortune into expanding charter schools and school voucher programs, has galvanized public education advocates fighting charter school expansion. ADLast year, three Democratic governors campaigning on pledges to halt the expansion of charter schools won elections. Under state law, school districts are required to pay tuition for children who decamp to charter schools, cutting monthly checks. For certain parents, the charter school is a refuge from a broken public school system rigged against their children.

Source: Washington Post December 14, 2019 01:14 UTC