I remember when the charter idea was first launched, in 1988.
Al Shanker thought charters would be schools-within-schools, that they would be started by teachers, that they would be approved by the other teachers in the rest of the school and the local board, that they would be unionized, and that they would collaborate, not compete, with the existing schools. More than three decades later, we know that charters seldom meet any of these conditions. Ninety percent are non-union. They compete, not collaborate. They may be started by almost anyone without regard to prior experience.
Charter advocates on the right insisted they would cost less, be more accountable, and get better results. Typically, none of these conditions are met except when charters cherrypick the students they want and exclude those they don’t want. Typically, state charter associations lobby to block accountability.
In Ohio, most charter schools are graded either D or F by the state. This very low-performing sector costs Ohio taxpayers nearly $1 Billion per year.
Now the charters want a 22% increase in funding.
Stephen Dyer explains here why they should get no increase at all.
Not only is their academic performance abysmal, but they are already paid more than the schools that educate 90% ofthe state’s students. And they have higher administrative costs.
A bad deal for students and taxpayers.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I’m reading 1984 right now where the past — including predictions, reasonings, and facts — is alterable. Thanks to your institutional memory, we’re (slightly) ahead of Orwell’s world.
yes!
I can remember discussing the charter concept at union meetings before 1988. Conservatives were floating the idea in the mid ’80s. They were pushing for “experimental schools.” The union’s position at that time was to resist because it realized it would hurt public education. Nobody could have foreseen how terrible things would be. By ’88 the union capitulated. I can remember the union policy change of acceptance as it was announced by the union at our first back to school meeting. I got a sinking feeling in my stomach, and you could hear a lot of grumbling among the teachers in the room. Many people felt even then that this was a terrible idea.
The first charter law in Minnesota set the charter model of anyone can open a school, no unions, no accountability, no experience necessary.
It is up at OEN
https://10thperiod.blogspot.com/2019/03/ohio-charters-need-22-raise-really.html
Charter advocates on the right insisted they would cost less, be more accountable, and get better results.
Yes, and Santa Claus, The Grinch, Superman and Humpty Dumpty are real people too.
Of course they want more. The scheme is backed by GOP politicians who provide a way for grifters to take taxpayers’ money.
exposing the entire modern-day GOP platform: “a way for grifters to take taxpayers’ money”
What a subversion of Shanker’s beautiful dream!
If there is money to be made, all good ideas eventually get subverted –and often perverted.
The world wide web is a good example.
It has been estimated (yes, there ARE people who actually research such stuff, probably with public grant money) that about 4% of all websites and nearly 15% of all internet searches are pornography related.
Of course, given that the internet was developed and used by computer nerds in the early days, it’s plausible that it was probably perverted from day one.