Report: scrutiny lacking for Florida charter schools.

[madfloridian]

Report: scrutiny lacking for Florida charter schools.

NAPLES – Officials have shut down at least five schools run by the Richard Milburn Academy of Florida, yet the company has continued to operate and open new taxpayer funded campuses in this state.

Florida’s 622 charter schools are more likely than regular public schools to receive an A rating from the state but also more likely to fail, the Naples Daily News reported Sunday. In the last six years, Some 14,000 students have had to relocate to new schools, at times mid-year, as a result of these closings. Financial problems are the most common reasons for closure. Florida does not require upfront funding commitments for charter campuses to open.

Academic failures are the second most common cause. That was the case with most of the Richard Milburn schools. Two of its schools closed after administrators manipulated grades in Lee County. In the Tampa Bay area, two were shut down due to low academic performance, and one In Manatee County was closed after half the graduating class received diplomas despite lacking sufficient credits.

....Florida requires few qualifications for those serving on the charter governing boards of charter schools. These board members manage the tax dollars the schools receive. Once a contract has been given, neither county nor state officials have a say in a board’s makeup.