Tell Gov. Snyder to Veto the Elimination of the Charter School Cap

Please veto Senate Bill 618. I am appalled at the continued assault on the public schools. SB 618, which lifts the cap on charter schools, will siphon funds from the public schools and line the pockets of for-profit charter operators. The bill does nothing to address inequities in the quality of education available to the children of Michigan. Under the bill, the charter schools do not have nearly the accountability that traditional public schools have. There is no requirement that they open only in struggling school districts. There is no requirement that the operators demonstrate a track record that is better than that of the schools they are supposed to be offering an alternative to.

I applaud efforts to improve public education in this state, but this bill does exactly the opposite. At a time when the Public Schools are supposed to be consolidating services and reducing budgets, adding more schools and a whole other administrative construct seems both 'penny and pound foolish.' Again, I urge you to veto SB 618.