President Joe Biden is taking steps to ensure that federal education funding will not be squandered on unneeded, mismanaged schools and the operators wanting to profit off of taxpayer dollars.
But these efforts are being opposed by the powerful charter school lobby, which has long enjoyed a privileged status in the U.S. Department of Education. For example, the DOE grants charter operators’ exclusive access to an annually renewable grant program established under the government’s Charter School Program.
Since its inception in 1994, this program has awarded an estimated $4 billion to charter schools, charter industry-related advocacy and support groups, as well as state grant programs that fund charters. This year, its budget was $440 million. So where has all that money gone?
