PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The School District of Philadelphia works in compliance with state law when it comes to authorizing, monitoring and renewing charter schools, but there is room for improvement, according to a new state audit.
On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General released its findings of an audit of Philly charter schools. State Auditor General Timothy DeFoor said there was “a lot of good news to share.”
“While the system is working, there are things that can be done better,” he said.
The audit recommends getting an external review of the district’s framework to evaluate charters, putting charter responses in renewal reports to increase transparency, and doing more frequent audits of charter admissions lotteries.
DeFoor said situations, like allegations that Franklin Towne Charter High School rigged its enrollment lottery to exclude minorities, could have been detected sooner.
At a Harrisburg news conference on Tuesday, Peng Chao, head of the district’s Charter Schools Office, said the audit confirms the district has a robust charter evaluation system.
“This system holds all charter schools to the same set of performance standards in order to foster high-quality educational options and improved outcomes for all of our students,” said Chao.
No system is perfect, Chao added, and his office will continue to learn and reassess its practices.