This report from television station KUTV in Salt Lake City points out a bizarre contradiction in Charter World.
Plenty of legislators are cashing in on charter schools
In Utah:
State Sen. Lincoln Fillmore (Dist. 10) is one of the foremost experts on charter schools in the state legislature. That makes sense given that he runs Charter Solutions, a company that from 2015 to 2018 has collected $5.7 million in fees from charter schools.
That is taxpayer money given to those charter schools. As many as 23 different charter schools have hired Fillmore’s company to help them administer their curriculum and take care of back office activities like payroll and human resources.
Fillmore says although he does field questions from lawmakers regarding charter schools, he never sponsors legislation that affects them.
He told 2News:
I’m fully transparent, my job, (as a lawmaker) the law requires all citizen legislators to fill out a conflict of interest disclosure. But I take the additional step of telling my constituents that I don’t run charter school bills
Critics say Fillmore doesn’t need to run legislation. He is the “go-to” voice in the legislature when it comes to charter schools.
In a Beyond the Books investigation, video of Fillmore was found during the second to last day of the legislature last year with him speaking on charter school legislation.
He wasn’t the sponsor of House Bill 231, or even the co-sponsor, but when lawmakers had questions about the bill, he was the one providing the answers.
Beyond the Books wanted to find out if lawmakers’ affiliations with charter schools affects their votes on legislation. A lengthy list of former and current lawmakers who currently sit, or used to sit, on the boards of individual charter schools was discovered.
They include:
- Former House Speaker Greg Hughes, who is on the board of Summit Academy.
- Senate President Stuart Adams, who is on the board of Assent Academies.
- Rep. Kim Coleman is founder and director of Monticello Academy.
- Former lawmakers Curt Oda, Chris Herrod, Matt Throckmorton, and Merlynn Newbold all sit or sat on the board of Utah Military Academy.
- Former lawmaker Rob Muhlestein runs Harmony Education Services.
- Former State Sen. Mark Madsen sat on the board of American Leadership Academy.
- Howard Stephenson, who is considered the father of Utah Charter Schools because he sponsored the bill allowing for charter schools, says he does sit on a charter school board but resisted all offers until this year.
- Sen. Jerry Stevenson, is on the board of Career Path High. His son, Jed Stevenson, is also part owner of Academica West with former state Sen. Sheldon Killpack, who resigned from the senate after he was arrested for DUI 8 years ago. Academica West has helped to build, design and manage 17 Utah charter schools. Stevenson says he never talks to his son, or his friend, Killpack, about business, even though the board of Career Path High meets at the Academica West offices. He said: “The only thing we do hold our board meetings (Career Path High) in their office building (Academica West), but they’re (Killpack, Jed Stevenson) not in attendance.”
Beyond the Books also compiled a list of lawmakers dating back to the early 2000’s who made millions off of charter schools while they were members of the legislature.
Former Reps. Glenn Way, Jim Ferrin and Mike Morley where in business together helping to build and run charter schools. The wife of Rep. Eric Hutchings, Stacey, runs Career Path High.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
They could extend this reporting by comparing the cost of Charter School Solutions contracting to similar services provided by public schools.
They could also list the pay rates for Charter School Solutions managers and employees.
Let’s have a real comparison between charter schools and public schools, and then reveal all that to the public.
Maybe the lawmakers would agree to voluntarily provide these disclosures to the public. Why wouldn’t they? If the rates are reasonable and in line with public school costs they shouldn’t have any trouble revealing it all.
We don’t have enough information to evaluate charter school finances. They haven’t revealed enough for anyone to get a real idea about what this costs, who is profiting, etc.
Public schools have to reveal the specifics of contracts. Why don’t charter schools?
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Charters should also have to reveal how much money they get from various wealthy benefactors. Some charters near NYC are swimming in hedge fund cash, and they still get to drain money from public schools. The system is rigged against public schools!
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A simple comparison of charter executives to public school principals and superintendents is revealing. Charter leaders are getting rich, while paying their teachers peanuts.
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Charter schools are not transparent and accountable financially, but wait until ed reformers start public funding of private schools and thousands of individual education service providers.
There isn’t any public disclosure of finances at all in the voucher schemes.
The federal government will be directing 5 billion dollars into a dark hole. The level of corruption is going to be off the charts.
Charters are just the tip of the iceburg. The whole ed reform echo chamber are now promoting voucher schemes that will direct public funding to anyone who calls themselves an “educational provider”. Rip off providers are probably starting up as we speak. Remember Tutors with Computers in NCLB? This is that X 5 BILLION.
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Where I worked we were contractually unable to tutor any of our own students for money. It was considered a conflict of interest. In Utah, Florida and some other states representatives are voting for privatization and cashing in on it. This is blatant self dealing and profiteering, and it should be illegal. Government is refusing to regulate this abusive practice.
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I feel badly for Utah. Why? The Mormon religion was created by a male for males. I think this says a lot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism_and_polygamy
Lots of harm has been done by religious fanatics.
https://futurism.media/religious-fanaticism-is-dangerous
And, of course, we know about the Catholic church.
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The Catholic Church is tone deaf in promoting charter schools at the same time it is in the news for lax oversight (generously speaking) of widespread pedophilia.
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Thanks for bashing a religion and its followers. Not cool.
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TOW-
A specific religious’ group’s ideology should not be allowed to trample other people’s rights nor should the group have access to other people’s money (tax dollars).
When religious leaders exert political influence e.g. LGTQ and abortion rights, they and their politically active members, deserve any truthful condemnation leveled at them.
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“Betsy DeVos
Great discussion with jeanneAllen and edreform on Education Freedom Scholarships. EFS is not a partisan issue. Every child deserves to have access to the educational environment that works best for them — no matter their zip code, family’s income, or skin color.”
It’s really outrageous that the US Department of Education has excluded public schools, public school families, and public school teachers from discussions with the federal employees all of us are paying.
They meet exclusively with ed reform lobbyists. They are deliberately excluding anyone who represents the schools they oppose ideologically.
I resent paying for this. They should do this on someone else’s dime. If they want to run a charter and voucher promotion lobby, they can do it somewhere else than in a publicly-funded agency.
Ludicrous. 90% of students are excluded from high level discussions and negotiations on “public education”. Who works on behalf of public school families?
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It’s like taxation without representation, particularly if your representative belongs to the charter lobby.
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Two years ago we had a principal who was charged with a crime and fired because he brought a laptop home for his daughter to use.
My, how ethical standards have fallen. If he were working for a charter he could have owned the laptop provider and taken a sales cut on the contract.
Two systems. One has rules and the other doesn’t.
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As you know, the law in Ohio was written by charter lobbyists. If a charter closes, all the property purchased with public funds belongs to the charter operator, not the public.
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Beyond the Books also compiled a list of lawmakers dating back to the early 2000’s who made millions off of charter schools while they were members of the legislature.
This is really tedious and valuable investigative work. Every state should have some whistle-blowers who have the time and other resources to expose the conflicts of interest and self dealing in the charter industry.
And the same sort of research should be directed at the legislators who are pushing pay for success contracts for preschool and for other services that should be treated not as investments made for profit but obligations to be met for the common good.
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Laura,
Your final sentence reclaims a conceptual meaning and distances it from distortions used to sell products that harm the public.
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I watched that news report and wanted to cheer. Finally the reporters are seeing the scam for what it is. I am in Adam’s district. He will not get my vote in the future. He tried to hide behind a differing committee. I will also work to replace him. Recently the legislative body is trying to “fix” the tax structure of the state. They want to up the races on services and lower the income tax. The income tax is the funding source for education. As it stands now it will cut our funding by 300 million a year. We are already struggling with funding. I am angry.
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You voted for Adams at one point? One of my union representatives was back in D.C. for meetings and ran into Stuart Adams at a pro-privitization conference in the same hotel. He’s bad news!!!!
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I have been shouting to anyone who would listen about these legislator/charter shenanigans for years. No one would believe me. I’m glad a local news outlet is FINALLY doing something about it.
And to Firstgrademonkey, the tax “reform” bill died yesterday. Let’s hope it stays dead. Not only would it cut money for education, but force everyone who teaches music lessons or cuts hair or any other service to charge taxes–never mind how THAT would work.
And I have BEGGED the state’s unions to walk out against this tax “reform.” But, as my union leader stated, teachers in Utah don’t have the guts to sustain a one-day walk out, let alone a strike.
Did you also know that Utah spent nearly 2% LESS last year on education than the year before, and Utah still spends 1.3% less than it did in 2008? Of course, we spend the least per pupil in education.
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I too have been shouting out to anyone who will listen, including a few state legislators and senators. I have exchanged letters with them and spoken with them. I have spoken out at my local caucus and ran to be a delegate for the state convention.
I attended Educator day on the hill last week and personally spoke with both representatives from my district as well as others. Last week, the house and senate believed the bill was a slam dunk. They were sure they had the votes to pass it. There were enough of us pushing against it that it was placed on the agenda for a special session to be held this spring. Even if there is no special session held, it will be taken up again next January. It is not dead, it is in the middle of being birthed.
It is true that I was not aware of Senator Adam’s collusion with
the charter industry. I was distracted by Stephenson’s bills designed to destroy our association. His actions have decimated the PAC funding for UEA. He nearly succeeded in preventing the association from collecting dues. He was a main objective. Notice he retired. (not that his replacement is that much better) Our work against common core caused the governor to back track. I think He would have lost the election with out changing his mind and working toward funding education. And yes, I filled out his surveys and answered his requests for information.
Utah teachers are not gutless wonders. There has been talk of a strike at some association meetings. In my district there are schools that are ready to move and other buildings that haven’t even considered it. We need our members to be more involved in the political process. I am seeing slow but steady progress in my school. If you interested, you can find information on what UEA is doing during the legislative session by going to UEA.org. Then go to under the dome.
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I am not UEA. UEA ignored my pleas for help and then called me a “traitor” when I left for another union.
NO ONE in my building is politically active but me, and I’ve talked to a lot of other buildings where no one cares, either.
I have been to educator day on the hill and also called every senator and representative I can get my hands on.. I’m pretty active myself. And I know about under the dome and all of those things. I was a building rep for years before UEA stomped on me.
But WHERE are the calls to get organized? Without those calls, people won’t get involved.
THank you for getting involved. NOw we only need about 10,000 of us.
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Glad to hear it. So happy to know that others are alarmed. I agree with that 10,000 more.
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