For the first time in the 20 years they've existed, Connecticut charter schools will have to abide by similar rules as traditional public schools.
The new law requires charter schools to make additional financial disclosures that will include an audited statement of revenues. In addition, the accountability measure places new restrictions on nepotism and requires that all employees, including administrators, undergo background checks.
"I think the charter school accountability is a step in the right direction," said Mark Waxenberg, executive director of the Connecticut Education Association. "I think that the public needs to know where those dollars are being spent."
Connecticut lawmakers passed a law authorizing charter schools in 1995. Since then, charter schools have been run primarily outside the traditional standards and guidelines for the state's public schools.
The charter school community has liked it that way, but this measure is something they're willing to accept.
"A large part of this law really strengthens accountability and transparency, and it leaves out what national experts have said is best practices," said Jeremiah Grace with the Northeast Charter School Network. "When you are increasing accountability, you are also increasing autonomy."
Grace said he believes that what makes charter school special is their existence outside the normal public school structure.
Local
"Our hope was that charters would be granted certain levels of flexibility that would hopefully breed innovation," he said.
Overall, charter schools and their supporters had a very successful legislative session, with a pair of key victories. A moratorium on new charter schools was removed from the budget during negotiations, and about $5 million in funding was restored for the opening of two new charter schools in Stamford and Bridgeport.
Waxenberg said the new charter school law will only improve educational opportunities and transparency in the state.
"If [money is] not being spent to benefit our students and they’re going toward the operation of some other bureaucratic charter management organization or some other state with their operation, I think the state has to understand that that’s not the way we do business in our state of Connecticut," he said. "So we do need the transparency to assure that all of the money in the state of Connecticut to fund public education is being spent appropriately."
