Charter schools worthy but need better oversight

There’s a danger emanating from this week’s raid on one particularly troubled public charter school, one that goes beyond the impacts on the particular institution, the Myron B. Thompson Academy.

That is: The lingering woes at the academy, where ethics problems have tarnished its reputation for almost three years, will also detract from the truly good work being done by other schools in the state’s charter network.

The state attorney general seized computers and boxes of records from the Thompson offices, located at the Richards Street YWCA, as part of an investigation into possible criminal theft charges, includ- ing paying staff for hours they did not work.

The probe is certainly justified: The state must demand accountability for public funds alloted to the charter schools.

The hope is twofold: that the case can proceed without delay to dismissal or prosecution to dispel the cloud hanging over the academy for far too long; and that leadership at all Hawaii charters will see this as a cautionary tale, signaling the need for prompt response to any complaints raised at their own schools.

Of course, Thompson isn’t the only charter to face some kind of crisis. Last year, the Hawaii Technology Academy fired its head of school following an audit documenting waste, fraud and abuse in travel expenses the governing board found excessive.

In October, Jeff Piontek was arrested and charged with stealing more than $100,000.

Both academies conduct much of their instruction online, with supple- mental face-to-face meetings and activities. Many parents are delighted to have this option available to their children, who often do well in a nontraditional learning setting.

Clearly, closing down an errant school, rescinding its charter, should be the last means of resolution. Charter schools are financed by public funds, bolstered by fundraising activities, and most parents could never afford to expand their educational choices through a private-school alternative.

These schools’ quasi-independence provides the opportunity for innovation, but it also carries a risk and responsibility.

Things can go wrong when people aren’t watching carefully, so it falls to the individual school boards to stay abreast of problems and hold the line on faculty and staff performance.

There’s been some progress toward better quality control among charter schools, with a restructuring of the individual boards under an overseeing authority, the State Public Charter School Commission.

Many systemic problems remain, including the persistent underfunding of the schools, which must pay rent for their own facilities. That’s a burden not borne by conventional school administrations.

The funding inequities still must be resolved for public charter schools to achieve their full potential.

But if they want to make a strong case before state lawmakers for a fiscal boost, the charter schools must demonstrate much more stringent protocols for reviewing complaints and seeing that public funds are spent wisely.

The commission has an online complaint form (chartercommission.hawaii.gov/#!school-complaint-form/cfqo) to assist stakeholders in bringing problems to light.

But the individual school boards are best positioned to notice conflicts promptly; the commission must continue training of, and outreach to, these school boards if such problems are to be headed off in the future.