Good afternoon,
Earlier this week I released a special report, Pennsylvania Charter School Accountability and Transparency: Time for a Tune-Up., which is a follow-up to a series of public meetings I held earlier this year to identify ways to improve accountability, effectiveness and transparency of charter schools.
The report makes numerous recommendations as to how we can better serve students and taxpayers by creating an independent charter school oversight board, improving communication between school districts and charter schools, updating requirements for professional staff, clarifying procedures admissions and enrollments, encouraging transparency and improving special education assessments, to name just a few.
Some of the recommendations are not new. In fact, legislation to implement some charter school reforms has already been introduced and/or passed in the House or Senate. It is my hope that this special report will be a blueprint that the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the governor can use to find common ground and enact legislation to improve the Charter School Law and better meet its original intent.
We owe it to our children and to the taxpayers of Pennsylvania to make sure that we are doing everything possible so that students are getting the best education available and that we are getting the best return on investment for our tax dollars.
You can review the special report online by clicking here.
In case you missed it in the news, here are some of the major news stories this week about my special report on charter school accountability and transparency. Click the headline to read the story or watch the video.
I appreciate your continued interest as we keep fighting to make government more transparent, effective and efficient.
Best,
Eugene DePasquale
Charter School Report (video) WHTM ABC 27, Harrisburg—May 12, 2014
Auditor general releases charter school report (video) WFMZ CBS 69, Lehigh Valley—May 12, 2014
Report: Charter Schools Need Oversight Board (video) WTAJ TV 10, Altoona—May 12, 2014
State auditor rips charter school oversight Philadelphia Inquirer—May 12, 2014
Auditor general: Fix charter school law now Allentown Morning Call—May 12, 2014
Auditor general’s report calls for charter school law overhaul Easton Express, Lehigh Valley—May 12, 2014
Report details litany of issues facing charter schools Beaver County Times —May 12, 2014
Charter school reform has as many backers, with different definitions of “reform” Harrisburg Patriot-News—May 12, 2014
Auditor General calls for overhauling Pennsylvania’s charter school regulations Harrisburg Patriot-News —May 12, 2014
Souderton area education leaders react to Pennsylvania auditor general’s proposed charter school reforms Lansdale Reporter—May 15, 2014
State auditor general suggests statewide oversight board for charter schools Pittsburgh Post-Gazette—May 12, 2014
Acting education secretary: Pension reform needed Scranton Times-Tribune—May 13, 2014
Auditor General recommends creation of independent oversight board for charter schools Pittsburgh Business Times—May 12, 2014
Auditor General Calls For Greater Oversight Of Charter Schools WESA 90.5 FM, Pittsburgh—May 12, 2014
Pa. auditor general: Charter schools need more oversight Pocono Record—May 14, 2014
Auditor general calls charter school oversight ‘a mess’ Lancaster Online—May 13, 2014
Auditor General, lawmakers propose similar updates to PA charter school rules PA Independent, Statewide—May 13, 2014
Auditor general recommends charter oversight improvements York Blog—May 14, 2014
Charter schools need oversight, says state auditor Philadelphia Business Journal—May 14, 2014