Auditor General DePasquale Praises New Effort to Improve Charter School Accountability, Protect Students and Taxpayers
DePasquale again calls on General Assembly to enact needed changes
Auditor General DePasquale Praises New Effort to Improve Charter School Accountability, Protect Students and Taxpayers
DePasquale again calls on General Assembly to enact needed changes
HARRISBURG (Aug. 13, 2019) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today applauded Gov. Tom Wolf for proposing sweeping reforms to the state’s oversight of charter schools.
“Taxpayers deserve to know where their hard-earned money is going,” DePasquale said. “There’s too little accountability for the $1.8 billion that taxpayers give to charter schools annually and it is time for that to change.”
DePasquale has conducted numerous audits of charter schools and published a 2014 special report that proposed many of the reforms announced today by the governor.
While Pennsylvania is home to some charter schools that serve students well, many are run by school management companies that are often secretive about how they spend the substantial public funding they receive.
Gov. Wolf has tasked the state Department of Education with developing regulations to increase financial and operational transparency for charter schools. He also plans to propose legislative updates to the state’s charter school law, which was first enacted more than 20 years ago.
“Pennsylvania has the worst charter school law in the nation,” DePasquale said. “Until the General Assembly acts, I believe the governor’s plan will help move us away from that unfortunate distinction.”
Learn more about the Department of the Auditor General online at www.paauditor.gov.
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