Sacramento, CA—Yesterday, the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) and Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) released their Review of the Funding Determination Process for Nonclassroom-based Charter Schools (the “Review”) including three key findings and a long list of recommended changes.
Context
Their research and the report were mandated by last year’s state budget education “trailer” legislation directing that they “identify and make recommendations on potential improvements to the [nonclassroom-based funding determination] processes, including recommendations for enhancing oversight and reducing fraud, waste, and abuse.” The same legislation extended for the second time a moratorium on the authorization of new, nonclassroom-based charter schools until January of 2026. It also comes on the heels of some high-profile abuses in a few charter schools, most notably the massive fraud case stemming from the A3 charter school network.
LAO/FCMAT Key Findingse
The key findings in the Review will surprise few in the nonclassroom-based charter school sector, including...
