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State ironing out performance pay program for public schools
High-performing schools got a temporary boost in state funding because of their standardized test scores, but the additional money has proven to be incredibly short-lived for some schools under Gov. Doug Ducey’s signature performance pay plan.
‘Institute’ report reads like hit piece, charter schools well regulated, transparent
I was disappointed to read that a loosely organized “institute” of former elected officials and politicians released a report – not on how to help all schools improve – but, rather, singling out charter schools for unfounded criticism. The report is riddled with errors and inconsistencies, and drips with sarcasm. Suffice to say, it reads more like a campaign hit-piece than a scholarly anal[...]
Legal, but unethical – most charter schools use public funds for questionable transactions
A majority of Arizona’s charter schools spend taxpayer dollars on non-competitive business arrangements with for-profit businesses that are owned by the charter holder, board members, or their relatives. Grand Canyon Institute’s research found that 77 percent of charter schools engage in ‘related-party transactions’ in a manner that is not in the best interests of Arizona’s students, par[...]
Shamless: Charter schools performing well and here to stay
Charter and private schools are here for the foreseeable future. The right answer is for leaders of the public school system to adopt what the “parallel schools” are doing right to help raise the performance of the traditional public-schools.
Ducey’s proposal will help only a few schools launch full-day kindergarten
An Arizona Capitol Times analysis shows that under the governor’s plan, full-day kindergarten expansion is going to be more limited than he has envisioned.
School choice a sham, profits on the taxpayers’ dime
It is time for Arizonans to take a hard look at who really benefits from school choice. While some families may want tax-payer funded options, the dizzying array of choices, combined with lax oversight and weak laws, make Arizona’s taxpayers easy marks for profiteering on the taxpayers’ dime.
What BASIS offers: A passport to 20,000 futures
On a blog maintained by the Network for Public Education, a blogger recently attacked BASIS.ed and BASIS Charter Schools with a series of falsehoods and innuendo. Ordinarily, we would not dignify such errors with a response, but as the Arizona Capitol Times was going to publish it, and offered us a response, we felt compelled to do so, with facts.
A critical year for school choice
The coming year will be a critical time for the school choice movement in Arizona and nationally.
Charter school accused of using state money to teach religious doctrine
A national organization filed suit Wednesday against an Arizona charter school with ties to a member of the state Board of Education, accusing it of using state funds to illegally teach religious doctrine.
Senators vote to set aside more than $100 million for charter school loan assistance
Republican lawmakers are moving to use state funds to help privately run charter schools borrow money at better interest rates.
What’s inefficiency to some
Ducey and lawmakers have perennially touted charter schools’ highest achievements, including the reputation by some as among the best in the country. But a new study by the Grand Canyon Institute, a centrist research group, claims that charters are financially inefficient.
Arizona school data shows uneven distribution of ethnic groups
Two decades after Arizona helped pioneer the charter school movement, enrollment data show the schools don’t match the school age demographics of the state and, in many cases, their neighborhoods. White - and especially Asian - students attend charter schools at a higher rate than Hispanics, who now make up the the greatest portion of Arizona’s school age population.
