Auditor: State Oversight of Charter Schools Is a ‘Mess’

Source: Pennsylvania Department of Education. Taken from the Auditor General’s report.

After a series of public meetings around the commonwealth, state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has called for an overhaul of the state’s charter school system. In addition to adding an independent charter oversight board, DePasquale called for the restoration of charter funds to school districts.

A report released yesterday (PDF) built on public meetings in Allegheny County, Easton, Ebensburg (it’s near Altoona), Fairless Hills and Philadelphia. The Philadelphia meeting was March 15th.

The Inquirer’s Martha Woodall reports DePasquale said “several participants in the public meetings compared the current situation to the wild, wild west.”

Both the Inquirer and the Notebook report on the most intriguing part of DePasquale’s report for Philadelphia: His proposal to restore the state reimbursement for charter school costs. That was axed in 2011, costing the Philadelphia school district more than $100 million in funding. Philadelphia has 91 of the state’s 174 charter schools.

Districts across the state praised DePasquale’s report yesterday.

[DePasquale’s Report (PDF) | Inquirer | Notebook]