Ending Cap on Charter Schools Troubles Royal Oak Superintendent

The Michigan House's action to lift the cap on the number of charter schools  "moves our state in the wrong direction," according to Royal Oak schools Superintendent Shawn Lewis-Lakin.  

Wednesday night, the state House voted 58-49 to pass Senate Bill 618, which would end the cap on the expansion of charter schools in Michigan.

"As an educator who seeks to make decisions based on data, I am troubled ...," Lewis-Lakin told Royal Oak Patch in an email. "Only about 50 percent of charter schools achieve the same student performance levels as public schools, while 39 percent score worse. Student achievement data is clear: Expanding charter schools in Michigan is more likely to worsen rather than improve learning outcomes for children.

"... Charter schools are supported by taxpayer dollars, but many of them use educational management companies whose expenditures are not open to the public and whose profits go out of state. Moreover, based on state data, charter schools spend significantly less of their overall budgets (45 percent) on direct instruction than do community governed schools (54 percent). As a taxpayer, I want transparency, I want my money to stay in Michigan and I want my tax dollars directed toward instruction. As a taxpayer, I believe this legislation moves our state in the wrong direction."

According to the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, there are 232 charter schools in Michigan and more than two-thirds of the schools have waiting lists. According to a report by Forbes magazine, 80 percent of the state's charter schools are run by for-profit companies.

The Michigan Education Association has openly opposed the bill, calling it "another attempt to destroy public education and divert public taxpayer dollars to private, for-profit companies."

Rochester Hills Republican Tom McMillin, chair of the House Education Committee, voted for the bill.

"Michigan's children should not have to wait for adults in government to remove limits on their future," McMillin said in a statement Wednesday night. "By phasing out this arbitrary, outdated cap today, thousands of students currently on charter school waiting lists were given real hope for a better tomorrow."

The House bill differs from the version passed by the Senate. The two chambers could agree on changes and move to a final vote on the legislation as early as today.

– Kristin Bull contributed to this report.