Opinion: Charter schools must be held accountable

This editorial board has written on charter schools before — even calling for serious consideration of outright abolition of the system due to its violations of democratic values. In general, we stand by this opinion.

Increasingly, conservatives have called for various efforts to privatize education in this state in the name of efficiency. Privatization can be seen throughout primary, secondary and higher education in this state.

It is a move we are being told is going to make education better at lower costs to the taxpayers, and charter schools are just another part of this plan. So if charter schools are going to continue to operate in North Carolina, it is imperative that at the very least they are held accountable to the laws they are chartered to uphold.

Currently, a few charter schools, like the Roger Bacon Academy, have been violating nonprofit law according to an article in The North Carolina Law Review by professor Thomas Kelley of the UNC School of Law. In the article, Kelley contended a portion of North Carolina charter schools were actually stealing from taxpayers by using money provided from the state and sourcing it to for-profit holding companies.

According to Kelley’s research, officials within charter schools are giving benefits to outside stakeholders like for-profit holding companies, which is not permissible under North Carolina nonprofit law. The worst part is, little is being done to hold violators accountable.

To make matters worse, attempts to criticize charter schools’ value can be abruptly shut down by the state government.

This is demonstrated by the recent revisions of a Department of Education report on diversity of all North Carolina charter schools after Lt. Gov. Dan Forest did not approve the original copy. The (Raleigh) News and Observer reported his reasoning for cancellation was due to the report not having “a lot of positive things to say.”

The truth is often not positive, and currently charter schools across the nation are lacking in diversity compared to traditional public schools. This is an issue which needs addressing, even if it does not fit into the agenda of charter schools’ supporters.

To sugarcoat the report before its release, the state is now adding the various awards charter schools have received to satisfy Forest’s desire for positivity.

The accolades charter schools receive are not justification for a lack of diversity. While it is undeniable charter schools typically provide benefits for the people able to attend them, they leave those outside — often lower income minorities ­— in worse shape.

As the charter school system grows, it is important to uphold the law even if it is inconvenient to broader efforts to cripple public education.

The Department of Education should never be made to hide or cover up information in order to protect a political initiative. Instead, it should be allowed to solely focus on making better education systems for all of North Carolina’s residents.