For many fans of public schools and strong, standardized curriculum, charter schools tend to create a rift in the idea of a unified educational practice. Many charters practice alternative methods for designing courses and pedagogical methods for teaching material, which leads many skeptics to fear the benefits (or lack thereof) of these establishments. After all, charters receive a cut from public school funding, so shouldn’t they be performing at the same level as kids from a community’s standard schools? This is the trial by fire that many charters end up experiencing, and it has caused many to close their doors after failing to convince the government of their ability to get kids learn’d. The Wonderland Charter School in State College recently had to surrender its funding and close its doors after the local school district noted multiple ethical violations taking place: most notably, a series of discriminatory efforts against special education students were implemented to cut school costs. I remember watching dozens of Wonderland parents coming into a Board of Directors meeting the week after they voted on that decision, fighting to keep the school alive, but the school ultimately couldn’t keep up with the funding we were able to give them.

On a more usual basis, schools are held accountable by individual contracts made with local school districts, also known as charters, which is where the name originated. These charters act as petitions to create a new school, and if the government approves of the mission set forth by a budding program, it’s given a grant. Charters have “authorizers” who routinely check in on a school’s functions, approval rating, academics, and general culture and climate about once every three to five years. Charters are only generally restricted by a few simple rules, mostly revolving around an open admissions policy that cannot discriminate based on race, gender, religion, or prior academic performance. These institutions are entirely open to the public, hence their ability to pocket money from taxpayers.

Ultimately, charter schools are seen as a blessing in some communities and an utter nuisance in others. In areas of high racial segregation and poverty, students can jump across district lines to have a shot at bridging socioeconomic divides that would otherwise perpetuate the inadequate education of already suffering minorities. On the other hand, though, many dislike the funding they take away from the public schools in their community. I’ve spoken to Jon Downs, the Director of Educational Alternatives at SCASD (also my principal at the Delta Program), and he told me that the district loses several tens of thousands of dollars with every student that jumps ship. Taxpayers find even more disdain in the lack of transparency with how these schools operate: they’re giving money to support these schools, but they cannot vote for who ends up on the school board, nor can they scrutinize how funds are managed. It’s a system that sucks money in and doesn’t show anyone how it’s being used. Charter schools are a controversy that is shaking up the very foundation of how we value education in America, and it’s certainly going to lead to an overhaul of some sort in the system for deciding how individual students are educated.