Show-Me Audit Fight: Teachers Union Against Charter Schools

This was always going to be a collision course . . . As the urban core looks for educational alternatives, unions realize that options outside of direct political control often thwart their ability to influence working conditions for better and worse. 

Here's the start of the legal battle and the ongoing fight for the future . . .

In a letter dated Aug. 21, 2024, the AFT and Local 420 President Ray Cummings, as well as several state lawmakers, petitioned the auditor’s office for a probe of all charter schools in Missouri, which are located in St. Louis and Kansas City.

Cummings said there are concerns that the state’s audit of St. Louis Public Schools, which began on Aug. 13, is too narrow in scope. The state office began its investigation of the district after receiving complaints about a projected $35 million deficit in the district and the hiring practices of Superintendent Keisha Scarlett, who was placed on a temporary leave of absence in late July . . .

Cummings said charter schools should be held to the same standard as public schools. In the August letter, Cummings and others said auditing charter schools is necessary due to lingering questions about what happens to the millions of dollars provided to charter schools and other items purchased after charter schools close.

“Unlike public schools, charter schools are privately managed and often controlled by profit-seeking entities,” the joint statement reads . . .

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Missouri lawmakers and teachers union demand a state audit of charter schools

Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick says he'll only investigate the state's charter schools - which are all in Kansas City or St. Louis - if formal complaints show "specific problems. Union leaders sent a letter to the auditor's office in August.