Failing charter schools fail Texas students and families. Texas doesn’t need more charters. It needs more high-performing charter schools. Acting swiftly to close failing charter schools protects Texas students and families while creating more opportunities for high-performing charter schools to serve students.

1. WHO EDUCATES 5 MILLION
TEXAS STUDENTS?
Failing charter schools fail Texas
students and families.
Texas doesn’t need more charters. It needs more high-performing
PUBLIC
SCHOOLS 91%
Private Schools 6%
charter schools. Acting swiftly to close failing charter schools protects Public Charters 3%
Texas students and families while creating more opportunities for
PUBLIC SCHOOLS PRIVATE SCHOOLS PUBLIC CHARTERS
high-performing charter schools to serve students. 4,823,842 313,360 154,278
Why Can’t TEA Close Failing Charter Schools?
It takes too long to revoke a charter for poor performance, putting
According to the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission:
students and taxpayers at risk. TEA does not act to revoke a charter
• The percentage of charter school campuses rated until after four years of Academically Unacceptable performance.
Academically Unacceptable was nearly twice that of Because a charter is considered to be a property right, charter revocations
traditional public schools (11.2% vs. 5.9%). typically take 2-3 additional years, during which time students are
• Charter schools educate 3% of the student population in left in a poor performing school. In one case, TEA has been working
Texas, but account for 25% of the TEA’s workload. to revoke a charter for 12 years!
• The percentage of charter school operators failing state TEA lacks the authority to suspend charter operations for imminent
financial accountability standards in 2012 was more than six
insolvency before a school term begins. If a charter runs out of funds
times that of public school districts (13.1% vs. 2%).
during the academic year, it puts students and families at risk of disruption,
• Charter school campuses represent 71% of the campuses displacement and loss of academic progress.
with sanctions but only 17% of total public school campuses.
TEA lacks clear standards for charter renewal. As a result, poorly-run
• Out of a total of 452 charters for 2010-2011, several had
been rated Academically Unacceptable for multiple, charter schools are often allowed to continue to operate despite
non-consecutive years: chronic performance problems.
• 53 charter campuses = Academically Unacceptable for 3+ years TEA lacks the authority to address poor governance by charter
• 1 charter campus = Academically Unacceptable for 7 years! schools. TEA does not have the authority to reconstitute a charter
school board that is failing to carry out its obligations, or to address
nepotism or conflicts of interest.
TAKE ACTION Here’s what the Texas legislature can do to keep public schools strong:
• Strengthen charter schools and charter school enforcement by Commissioner to reconstitute charter boards, applying
adopting key recommendations of Texas Sunset Advisory nepotism and conflict of interest standards.
Commission staff: • Issue a five-year provisional license to new charter
- Require the Commissioner to revoke charters for failure to applicants so that those that fail to perform adequately
meet fiscal or accountability standards for three years in a row; can be shut down without lengthy lawsuits.
- Give the Commissioner authority to suspend operations and • Maintain existing TEA standards that allow
revoke charter if the school is about to become insolvent; high-performing charters to open new campuses without
- Strengthen the charter renewal process so that Commissioner obtaining a new charter (referred to as “replication”).
has clear authority to not renew a charter for accountability, • Oppose significant expansion of the current cap on the
fiscal, governance or other failure to comply with terms of number of charters until significant progress is made in
charter; and revoking poor performing charters.
- Strengthen charter schools governance by authorizing the
CHARTER LEGISLATIVE ADVERTISING PAID FOR BY: David Anthony, CEO, Raise Your Hand Texas
3200 Southwest Freeway, Suite 2070 | Houston, TX 77027
SCHOOLS P 713.993.7667 | F 713.993.7691 | www.RaiseYourHandTexas.org