Charter schools and trust
Regarding “Charter schools” editorial (Page A14, June 22), if a public school — charter or district-run — is not a good financial steward of public dollars it must be held accountable. That is why we support the laws in place and the authority granted to the Texas Education Agency to close charter schools under Senate Bill 2, commonly known as the three strikes law, which is one of the strongest accountability laws in the country for charter schools.
Unfortunately, the editorial led readers to believe that it is the wild west when it comes to the regulation of public schools. That could not be farther from the truth.
The “regulatory latitude” given to public charter schools that the editorial suggests “lays the groundwork for managerial misdeeds” is the same regulatory latitude that governs district-run schools. Both charter and district-run schools have the freedom to set the pay of superintendents without state oversight, are subject to the exact same conflict of interest laws, and are required to comply with the same generally accepted accounting principles. Like districtrun schools, public charter schools are also subject to open meeting laws, public information laws, and are required to post financial reports, including the superintendent’s salaries on the school’s website.
But unlike district-run schools, the commissioner of education has the authority to close a charter school for failure to follow generally accepted accounting standards of fiscal management or for failure to comply with any applicable law or rule. In addition, while charter school boards are appointed, the attorney general has the power to bring a suit against any member of the governing body of a charter school for breach of fiduciary duty, including misapplication of public funds.
To be clear, there is no special regulatory latitude for Texas charter schools, and Texas law provides the commissioner with the tools necessary to sanction and close schools that violate the public trust. In fact, Texas law imposes aggressive accountability and closure mandates upon charters that are not required of district-run schools, which are far from free of financial scandal. The Chronicle’s call for new and additional regulations on charter schools is simply not necessary.
The actions by Varnett charter school founders Marian Annette Cluff and Alsie Cluff Jr., who were sentenced to 10 years and 3 years, in prison, respectively, for running an embezzlement and tax scheme that bilked lowincome parents, should absolutely be denounced, and we stand alongside the editorial in doing so. When people misuse taxpayer funds they should go to jail; and justice has been served in this case. We will continue to support the TEA and other agencies in ensuring that all public schools keep the public trust.