Charters in the Philadelphia area received more than $30 million in Paycheck Protection Program funds, while public schools in Philadelphia continue to be systematically underfunded. The big winner in the PPP sweepstakes is the for-profit Chester Community Charter School, owned by a major Republican donor and billionaire.
One of the largest loans, between $5 million and $10 million, went to Chester Community Charter School (CCCS), which is operated by a for-profit management company owned by wealthy Republican donor Vahan Gureghian.
The loan was received by Archway Charter School of Chester, Inc., which is the nonprofit name for CCCS under which it files its 990 tax form.
The CCCS charter already received more than $2.5 million from the CARES Act, intended for public schools. So CCCS, which aims for a complete takeover and privatization of its district, is funded both as a “public school” and a small business.
The most recent 990 form on file for Archway and available in Guidestar, which is for 2017, reports that almost all its more than $66 million in revenue comes from “government grants.” Gureghian has resisted releasing any information about his management company’s profits, but the 990 reports $18 million in management costs.
Chester Community is among those pursuing a court case that could privatize the management of all the schools in Chester. Charters already educate most of the K-8 students in the district.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Meanwhile, here’s who will be directing policy on re-opening public schools:
Mike Magee
CEO
@chiefsforchange
Co-founder
bvprep
Board
NewTeacherCtr
Is it impossible to ask that someone from a public school have some input into reopening public schools? Are people from public schools actually barred from this “debate”?
Ludicrous. 100% echo chamber. Our schools and students are excluded from all high level policy discussions regarding our schools. No one who supports or values our schools is EVER at the table. Is it any wonder they’re always the last priority?
Diane and Chiara: FYI I just heard a newsflash that both Los Angeles and San Diego school districts would have ONLY online schooling for the fall. CBK
Yep. The pandemic is still spreading in Ca.
The Chester Community Charter School applied for the loan because the school district’s payments have been “unreliable.” What this indicates is that the public schools do not have enough money to pay the bill to a charter school with over four thousand students. This situation is the result of the preferential treatment for charter schools with high reimbursement rates in Pennsylvania. The Chester Public Schools have been a host for an ever growing private system. In such a parasitic arrangement the public schools will collapse under the unfair burden of paying private charters. It has always been assumed that the competition from charter schools would improve public schools. This is a lie. No school can exist without resources, and this is what has happened to the Chester City Public Schools. Unfettered charter expansion destroys public schools.
that line could continue as an exposé: unfettered charter expansion destroys public schools while opening line upon line of personal profiteering channels
Didn’t the lying, corrupt in every way imaginable Trump administration take charge of handing out the PPP money behind a wall of secrecy after Trump fired the Inspector General in charge of seeing that money went where it was supposed to?
Lloyd You know those inspector generals. . . always holding one’s feet to the fire. What a waste of time! CBK
Surely there must be some legal recourse to the outrageous waste of money that should go to students and public schools. Is there any organized response to how our money is being wasted? Carolyn
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The only response to this level of greed-based corruption is at the ballot box. And, nothing will change until the Democratic Party evicts all of the neo-liberals in positions of power and the GOP becomes extinct as a political party.
The legislature includes some charter owners and some other charter lobby members. They hold the purse strings and refuse to change the outrageous charter school funding rules. If Pennsylvania wants to move forward, the people must vote these complicit representatives out.
It’s all about the money with some of these charters. This one operates with public money, private financial documents, and non profit status. I cannot reconcile this in my mind. An audit is overdue.
Seems that that the tip of the iceberg keeps getting bigger:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/07/among-companies-getting-millions-in-ppp-loans-korean-air.html
https://www.prwatch.org/news/2020/07/13597/hate-groups-rake-ppp-loans-racial-justice-movement-expands
Guess my typo was a subliminal expression of Th-th-th-that’s All Folks!