California Educator

August/September 2020

Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1278320

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 12 of 81

Bullis Charter School in Los Altos received as much as $5 million in PPP loans. California Charters Double-Dip in Public Coronavirus Aid C H A R T E R S C H O O L S — publicly funded but privately operated — received full public funding through the 2019-20 school year and will maintain the same funding for 2020-21. However, while many small businesses have struggled during the pandemic, charter organizations also applied for and received funding through the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), leaving the public to cover the same bill twice. In the Public Interest and Parents United for Public Schools in Oakland analyzed Small Business Administration data released in early July and found that California charter organizations received between $240.7 million and $565.6 million in PPP loans, in addition to their full funding as public schools. "We have money for small busi- nesses, we have money for schools," says ITPI senior policy adviser Clare Crawford. "When they 're using both sources for the same need, it's doing a real disservice to the community." Specifically: • 268 PPP loans were awarded to charter organizations representing a total of 420 charter schools. • Only 35 percent of PPP loans to charter organizations benefited independently managed schools, while 65 percent benefited char- ter schools affiliated with charter school chains. • Some chains accessed PPP funds by circumventing a rule disallow- ing application by entities with over 500 employees. For example, California's Learn4Life chain has 1,900 employees, but accessed up to $51 million through 12 PPP loans to various business entities. Scandal-plagued Inspire Schools accessed up to $29 million by applying individually for 11 different schools plus its parent organization, despite having 1,300+ employees. For more, including a search- able database of charter schools that received PPP loans, go to inthepublicinterest.org. Manual Membership Meet Your Leaders 1 History of Advocacy 5 Scholarship & Grants 8 Awareness Calendar 12 The finer points of membership. Organizing For Change Supporting Your Growth Advocating For Education Funding Innovations Saving You Money Connecting Your World Your Guide to CTA Membership A T T H E B A C K of this issue is your Membership Manual, which explains everything you need to know to make the most of your union. From organizing for change to saving you money, from supporting your growth and development to funding educator innovation, CTA is here for you. The guide is a keeper for those new to CTA as well as veteran members. You'll see how the union works and your vital role in it. You'll get a clear view of the many ways CTA advocates for students and educators and how you can both be a part of our work and take advantage of the many opportunities to advance the profession and improve your own practice. Our Voice. Our Union. #WeAreCTA A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0 11

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of California Educator - August/September 2020