3/2/22 - Democratic Lawmakers To Re-introduce Charter School Legislation

Some lawmakers in Lansing feel that more restrictions need to be placed on Michigan's charter schools.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WPBN/WGTU) -- Supporters say the legislation is meant to hold charter schools more accountable.  

Democratic lawmakers will introduce the School FACT Act - or School Freedom, Accountability, Choice, and Transparency Act - on Tuesday.

The act was originally introduced in 2017 and was made up of 16 bills. None of those bills made it to a first reading.

The re-introduced School FACT Act will have 22 bills originating from both the Michigan House and Senate.

“It’s about trying to get a grip on what we’re doing here with charter schools," said bill sponsor Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-Beverly Hills. "We’ve put a lot of money into those schools and we don’t really have anywhere near the kind of visibility and controls on it than we do our public education system.”

Bayer said the state's charter schools have been acting more like private schools, which the state legally isn't allowed to fund.

Some of the ideas include requiring education management organizations (EMOs) to post annual student recruitment costs and subject them to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

Another bill would require schools to hold monthly board meetings.

If the act passes, it would also prevent EMOs from making "sweetheart" real estate deals. EMOs, groups, or individuals establishing charter schools would be prevented from having a conflict of interest.

Now, the Democratic bills will face a Republican-controlled Legislature, where they face an uphill battle to get hearings.

The National Heritage Academies own more than 50 charter schools in Michigan. We reached out to the group and other charter schools in Michigan for an interview or comment on the legislation. We did not hear back by air time.