The school opened in the fall of 2015 and closed five months later. Whether you support the idea of charter schools or not, there is no reason for this level of waste. Among other problems, the school was found to be out of compliance on all 59 of its Individualized Education Plans. The Kentucky Department of Revenue has collected at least $50 million since 2006 from students who owed money to nearly all of Kentucky's public universities, and gotten millions more in fees. 1000 Massachusetts Avenue N.W. On Thursday the U.S. Department of Education released new information about how a majority of that money, or $12.5 billion, would be distributed across the sector. Multiple states have been found at various times to be doing a lousy job of handling the federal funds, and yet CPS does not call for additional oversight or assurances that the state will do better. Even though the money comes from the U.S. Department of Education, your school handles any financial aid refunds. contact@downsizinggovernment.org, "Only a truly competitive educational industry can empower the ultimate consumers of educational services—parents and their children. So, you'll usually track your refund status through your school rather than the federal department. NPE is a group co-founded by Diane Ravitch, the Bush-era Assistant Secretary of Education who has since become an outspoken critic of education reform. Its charter was revoked before it even opened. a so-called non-profit charter still enriches its owners. The NPE report finds that the past few years have seen an increase in funding--and a decrease in the quality of the schools that apply for and receive grants. The department's own reviewers are giving applications scores in a low range (71.6 out of 108 in one case), and yet the applicants still successfully receive taxpayer dollars for their charter school. This is about the federal government leaving huge loopholes in a program and a bunch of folks hoping to drive an armored car through those loopholes, load it up with cash, and stuff it all in their own pockets. Ignoring the Office of the Inspector General. CSP grants to charter management organizations are "beset with problems.". CSP's grant process does not involve verification of application contents. The department does not exercise sufficient oversight. The website for the U.S. Department of Education explains that during the 2004-2005 school year, about 83 cents from every dollar spent on education came from state and local sources. It has become one of the most commonly-noted problems of the charter world, and the means by which a so-called non-profit charter still enriches its owners. Charters that never opened, or closed quickly. The report was written by Burris and journalist Jeff Bryant. This money will be paid to families on a fortnightly basis. A 2016 audit, while looking at the problems between charter schools and charter management organizations, the OIG found "The department’s internal controls were insufficient to mitigate the significant financial, lack of accountability and performance risks that charter school relationships with charter management organizations pose to department program objectives." The report, "Asleep at the Wheel," focuses on seven areas that are wasting taxpayer money. This is about the federal government handing money to people who have are not competent to put it to good use. Tweet him at. Half of each institution’s total grant amount is reserved for emergency student aid, represented in the right column. The aid and related regulations have generally failed to lift academic achievement. EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change, a new report from the Network for Public Education, A 2016 report by the ACLU of Southern California. Some charters strongly discourage or even turn away students with special needs. ", Zircon - This is a contributing Drupal Theme, Any Budget That Cuts Fed Ed Is Good, But….