Shop

Using audit records, reporters at the Orlando Sentinel discovered charter schools struggling with management fees and overhead costs. The schools, which are operated by one of the largest school-management companies, Imagine Schools Inc., ended up spending fifty percent less on instruction per student than any of the neighboring public schools. In general, the charter schools "were posting a lower percentage of A's and B's on the annual school grades than the Osceola and Lake districts." While the state recommends that districts keep a positive balance of 2-7 percent to cover emergency expenses, charter schools have no rule of thumb to go by and are millions of dollars in the red.