Texas AFT: We may have suffered setbacks in Texas, but we can fight charter schools at the federal level ‣ Texas AFT

As the State Board of Education continues to approve new charter schools and the Texas Legislature shirks its responsibility to fully fund free public education, Democrats are taking action at the national level to hold charter schools accountable.

Last month, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, ranking chair of the Education Spending Committee, and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici introduced the Championing Honest and Responsible Transparency in Education Reform (CHARTER) bill. This bill would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to ensure that federal funds available through those acts cannot be awarded to charter schools that contract with a for-profit company to operate, oversee, or manage the schools. This practice of for-profit companies operating charter schools is still permitted under Texas education law.

The CHARTER Act would be phased in so schools meet their current contracts and have a three-year transition period. Currently, one in five charter students attend a school operated by a for-profit company. AFT and our partners in the Network for Public Education have expressed support for Congressional Democrats leading the way on charter school accountability and putting public schools first.

In her statement supporting the bill, AFT President Randi Weingarten said:

“We believe charter schools should be held to the same rigorous standards as other public schools by requiring transparency, community engagement, and a commitment to serving all students… All too often, for-profit charter schools and management companies are created to circumvent these standards and harm existing public schools and the students they serve. This bill would address ruthless profiteers who seek to replace public schools with for-profit charter schools and turn them into money-making machines. I commend Representatives DeLauro and Bonamici for championing fairness and accountability by ensuring that state-funded charter schools serve the interests of students and families, not the interests of rogue management companies seeking to misuse public funds for their own ends.”

Texas AFT has signed a letter from the Network for Public Education to members of Congress who would be willing to cosponsor the CHARTER Act. By taking this step to support positive reforms at for-profit charter schools across the country, we can take steps to support funding and support for public schools here in Texas.

To speak with your Representative or Senator about supporting the CHARTER Act, find their contact information here.