Coalition accuses gov’t of advancing charter school expansion at expense of public system

According to a broad multisector coalition, Puerto Rico Education Department data showing that charter schools currently enroll 7,410 students, including 1,600 from private schools and 5,810 from public schools, demonstrates that charter system growth is fueled by the displacement of students from the public system.

By THE STAR STAFF

A broad multisector coalition warned Thursday that Puerto Rico’s public education system is being deliberately weakened as the Department of Education (DE) continues channeling public funds to private entities through the Office of Public Alliance Schools, which oversees charter school contracts.

According to the coalition, 21 charter schools have been authorized since 2018, with five additional schools under consideration. Data disclosed by the DE shows the agency allocates nearly $50 million annually to finance charter operations.

Teachers Federation President Mercedes Martínez said the proposed expansion would deepen the diversion of public resources.

“If the five additional charter schools are approved, the Department will be diverting a total of $60 million in public funds -- an estimated $2 million per new school -- to continue expanding a privatization model that has proven to lack adequate oversight,” she said.

A recent report by the Office of the Inspector General found significant deficiencies in the DE’s oversight of charter school performance. The report concluded that those shortcomings hinder the agency’s ability to enforce accountability and required the Office of Public Alliance Schools to adopt 10 corrective actions.

Among the findings: the agency failed to prepare and submit the annual reports required under Article 13.04 of Law 85-2018 for fiscal years 2022, 2023 and 2024. At the time of the report’s publication, the DE also could not demonstrate that it had completed the report for fiscal year 2025-2026.

ÚNETE Secretary General Emilio Nieves Torres noted that more than three charter-related scandals have surfaced in recent years, some documented by the Network for Public Education alongside more than 1,000 charter school controversies in the United States. In 2022, the DE was ordered to cancel a charter contract after it was revealed that one of the school’s incorporators had been convicted of embezzlement in the U.S.

In fiscal year 2023, the 12 charter schools then in operation received over $40 million, yet their use of funds was not audited. An investigation by the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo found that LEAP STEAM + E Academy received $9.3 million between 2021 and 2024, but its founder reported that the Office of Public Alliance Schools had conducted no formal evaluations -- only an informal monitoring visit.

Charter schools were introduced under the education reform championed by former Education Secretary Julia Keleher, who later pleaded guilty to fraud while serving under the administration of former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló Nevares.

DE data shows charter schools currently enroll 7,410 students, including 1,600 from private schools and 5,810 from public schools. The coalition argues this demonstrates that charter growth is fueled by the displacement of students from the public system.

“The Department is facilitating educational displacement by opening charter schools near existing public schools and granting them broad operational advantages -- curricular flexibility, administrative autonomy, regulatory exemptions, and differentiated conditions unavailable to public schools,” Martínez said. “This is contributing to school closures and the progressive weakening of the public system.”

The DE recently confirmed it is evaluating additional public school closures, citing declining enrollment and lack of funds. The coalition strongly opposes the closures.

Community leader Jeffrey Rivera Sanabria of Residencial Luis Llorens Torres in Santurce said the consequences are deeply felt in neighborhoods.

“It hurts to see our public schools -- the heart of our communities -- closing while millions are diverted to privatizing projects that lack accountability,” he said. “Every school that shuts down is a community losing a refuge, a family losing support, a child losing opportunities.”

The coalition also criticized the government for claiming insufficient funds to honor the teacher career ladder, which would benefit roughly 8,000 educators. The government has estimated it would need around $90 million to implement the salary adjustments.

“It is alarming that tens of millions are available for charter schools while the government insists it cannot fund the teacher career track,” Martínez said. “Public education is a fundamental right, not a business.”