Though It Has No Teachers This Company Gets Millions Meant for Private Charter Schools
A company with no teachers is receiving millions in funding meant for private and charter schools. If that sounds like a scam thats because it probably should be.
The company operates what it calls an educational service but doesnt actually employ educators or run classrooms in any traditional sense. Yet its been collecting funds designated for school choice programs.
ProPublica investigated how loopholes in education funding laws allow these arrangements to exist and persist.
The mechanics are complicated but basically involve creative interpretations of what counts as an educational provider. Lawyers and accountants worked very hard to make this technically legal even if it violates the spirit of the programs.
Education access is already a challenge for many families. Knowing that money meant to help is being siphoned off makes it worse.
Parents who sign up for these programs often dont realize theyre not getting actual schooling. The marketing is slick and the promises are big. The delivery is another story.
State regulators have been slow to act partly because the political landscape around school choice is so charged. Nobody wants to be seen as attacking alternatives to public schools even when those alternatives arent actually providing education.
The kids caught in the middle are the ones who lose. They miss out on learning while the adults argue about funding formulas and legal definitions.
Investigation report 2021
