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With FOIA requests, scores of interviews and school visits, reviews of thousands of documents and a deep analysis of academic data, the Detroit Free press revealed a $1-billion-a-year charter school system with weak state oversight. The result? Little transparency on how taxpayer money is spent, conflicts of interest often unchecked, some school operators lining their pockets, failing schools staying open year after year - and many children not getting the quality education that charter advocates envisioned 20 years ago. Our reporting showed Michigan has twice as many for-profit companies running schools than any other state, with weak accountability requirements that companies find attractive.