Charter enrollment declined in Utah for the first time in at least a decade, and no new charters opened.
Enrollment at Utah’s charter schools — which have seen explosive growth in the past as they’ve attempted to be “education’s disruptors” — declined this year for the first time in at least a decade.
The dip is largely unexpected but follows a particularly chaotic year for charters in the state. One was forced to close with millions in debts owed to overseas investors. Another filed for bankruptcy. A third was ordered to shut down after less than two years in operation…
In addition to some schools closing, no new charters opened this fall — which is also a first in the state for at least a decade, Peterson added, and likely contributed to the enrollment decline. Two or three were slated to enroll students in August but pushed back their starting dates over lease, land and building issues.
Royce Van Tassell, executive director of the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools, said the price of land has gone up in Utah and has put new charters in a challenging spot…
Van Tassell also pointed to the closure of the American International School of Utah, or AISU, for the dip. The Murray charter shut its doors in August in the face of mounting debts. The school owed the state and federal government nearly half a million dollars in misspent funds, according to an audit of its books.It also still faces potentially millions of dollars in other unspecified debt, according to its former spokesman, most of which was spent overseas. It’s likely that will never be repaid.
I was glad to see the reporter refer to charters as”disrupters,” which they are, and not as “reform,” which they are not.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I can’t abide a post on this site without a comment.
And, I’m always happy to see a story like this. Disruptors being disrupted. Yeah, they get a taste of their own stupid medicine.
It is ABOUT TIME. Most students who come back from charters to my public school classes of 36 to 40 students are woefully behind academically. A charter school near my school, which sends us a lot of students, is now under investigation for falsifying grades so a student could go to West Point, falsifying special education records, and violating financial rules. It was run by a former state legislator, and has legislators on its board, so it won’t shut down. People in Utah finally seem to be realizing the damage charters do. Let’s hope that downward trend continues.
“Utah Military Academy put on warning, director resigns after whistleblower reports ‘questionable ethical practices’ — including changing grades and paying former employees to keep quiet”
From SLTribune
One of their campuses is on Hill Air Force Base.
What happened to Honesty, Honor and all the rest?
Perhaps that’s the Marines, not the Airforce?
more and more the word ‘falsifying’ goes hand-in-hand with any charter scandal
“Glad to see the reporter refer to charters as”disrupters,
The majority of the people in Utah question absolutely nothing that their “leaders” tell them.
But there is a small minority who question everything, largely as a result of being lied to almost constantly by those in power.
I suspect the journalist who wrote that is among them.