Michigan

As state lawmakers take the correct course toward lifting the cap on charter schools, some Democrats are trying to block the move by raising the boogeyman of “profits.” Their proposal to ban for-profit charters should be taken for what it is — a backdoor tactic to limit charters and preserve the teacher union’s monopoly on school children.

Democratic Sens. Rebekah Warren of Ann Arbor and Hoon-Yung Hopgood of Taylor claim Michigan has one of the highest rates of for-profit charter companies in the country. They say about 80 percent of charter schools are run by these organizations.

So what? Many charter school boards (charters are public schools just as are traditional schools) choose to contract with education management organizations to oversee various school functions, from basic operations to instructional services. Some of these companies are nonprofit; some are for-profit. Read more.