Texas AFT joined a coalition of 18 education groups urging Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath to “deny or significantly limit approval of all charter-operator expansion amendments in 2020 in consideration of the additional costs to the state that would result from an increase in charter enrollment.”
The coalition’s letter to Morath comes after a review of applications for amendments—which on approval from the TEA allow charter-school operators to add new campuses—that showed significantly flawed applications and detrimental impacts to the state budget and students. The letter offers a detailed look at:
- Expansion amendments to increase maximum student enrollment by 77,080 students that would, at full enrollment, be an additional cost to the state of approximately $90 million.
- Special education students are being underserved or not being provided adequate services by these charter applicants.
- Charter schools are proposed in areas of close proximity to existing neighborhood schools with no proof for the need of these campuses or records of outreach to the community.