Follow-up to earlier story about public school education in North Carolina…scary!
South Brunswick Charter approved amid questions surrounding charter operator’s financial conduct and conflicts of interest
After very little discussion, members of the State Board of Education gave final approval yesterday to 26 charter schools that intend to open in the fall of 2014.
Among those approved was South Brunswick Charter School, a fourth charter school to be run by Baker A. Mitchell, Jr.
Over the past several months, Brunswick County school district officials have called out Mitchell for profiting heavily off of taxpayer-funded charter schools that offer no new or innovative educational experiences outside of what traditional public schools already offer. Mitchell also serves on the Charter School Advisory Board, which is tasked with reviewing and recommending charter school applications.
The impact on Brunswick’s local schools
Public charter schools were intended to provide alternative educational settings for those who desire a different curricular approach to education or who need specialized attention. To accomplish these goals, charter schools receive taxpayer funds based on the number of students they enroll. Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools have few accountability requirements and are not obligated to explain in detail how they spend their tax dollars.
During the charter school application review process, local school districts have the opportunity to submit impact statements for members of the Charter School Advisory Board and the State Board of Education to take into account as they consider approving the opening of a charter school. Impact statements usually explain how the local public school could be negatively affected by the opening of a charter school.
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