Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1545867
The Network for Public Education (NPE) has issued statehouse-by-statehouse report cards holding legislators accountable for how they treat public schools and the chil- dren who depend on them. "Public Schooling in America: 2026 Report Card" eval- uates states across four categories: privatization of public education, protections for homeschooled students, school funding and conditions for teaching and learning. California received a "C" grade. NPE's report makes a clear case that the more states spend on privatization strategies, the less they invest in pub- lic education. " The data confirm what we have long suspected: privatiza- tion and disinvestment go hand in hand," says Carol Burris, NPE executive director and report author. In California, "homeschool" charter schools have been popping up with limited guardrails for how millions of edu- cation dollars are spent. "California classifies [these schools] as non-classroom-based charter schools, [masking] the number of students who are, for all intents and purposes, homeschooled. These charter schools... compete for parents by offering educational funds that parents can self-direct for anything from sailing lessons to field trips to Disneyland — all paid for by taxpayers." While California's non-classroom based charter sector includes different models including homeschool and virtual, the state does not track which schools offer which model, nor the number of students enrolled by program type. Burris notes that the stakes have never been higher, with the One Big Beautiful Bill embedded with the first- ever national tax credit voucher program, while $500 million in federal funding has been directed toward char- ter schools. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education is being dismantled. To read the report, visit inthepublicinterest.org/ the-grades-are-in. Privatization, Disinvestment Go Hand in Hand 34 cta.org In the Know N E W S & N O T E S