The 9% figure is fairly accurate for Wisconsin. We have 134 operating charter schools, and we have had approximately 13 charter schools close since the inception of state charter school law in 1993. The reasons for closures are many, however the largest percentage closed because they were no longer needed. The school had served its purpose for the special population that it was created for. The initial concept of charters as proposed by Ray Budde in the 80's did not necessarily imply that charter schools would last for ever. As incubators and research and develoment arms of public schools, they have the freedom and flexibility to open and close as needed. Accurate information about why charter schools close is as important to growing the movement as to why they open. In Wisconsin, only one of the 13 schools closed because of financial questions. The rest morphed into different programs with no negative repercussions.
Posted as a reply to:
Why Close? by lori porter
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