Pérez delivers testimony on charter accountability

El Paso: State Board of Education Member Georgina C. Pérez delivers testimony during the Texas Education Agency’s public hearing on the Charter School Performance Framework, strongly encouraging public oversight of charter operators’ academic performance.

Good morning, my name is Georgina Perez, and I’m a member of the State Board of Education, District 1, which covers El Paso to Odessa and down to Laredo. I’m here today to talk about the importance of the charter school performance framework in the context of my board.

Charter schools are funded entirely by Texas taxpayers, but unlike public schools, charters are not governed by elected trustees. The only time taxpayers have a say over charter school governance is when a new charter applicant submits its application to the State Board of Education. The board has veto authority over new charter applicants. Still, once we have approved a new charter chain, all other decisions are up to unelected individuals either at TEA or the charter.

One critical decision is whether a charter chain is allowed to expand. Right now, that decision is made entirely by TEA, out of the view of Texas taxpayers. It is based in part on the performance framework we’re discussing today. Texans deserve more transparency when it comes to how their tax dollars are spent. The easiest way is to place expansion amendments under SBOE oversight. Until then, we need to ensure that the charter school performance framework provides more transparency and accountability, especially when it impacts whether a charter chain is eligible to expand.

For this reason, I support the recommendations submitted by 21 education and policy organizations. Next time, I expect the TEA to expand the stakeholders engaged in drafting the next revision of the charter school performance framework to include education organizations, districts, and the SBOE.