Our audit sought to (1) describe what Department did to track and report on the number of charter schools opened and expanded using Charter School Program (CSP) funds and the number of charter schools that stay open after Federal funding ends, (2) determine whether CSP grant recipients opened and expanded the number of charter schools proposed in their approved grant applications, and (3) determine whether the charter schools funded by CSP grants remained open for at least 2 years after funding ended.
The Department could improve its tracking and reporting on charter schools that recipients opened and expanded using CSP funds and charter schools that remained open after CSP funding had ended, and that information collected by the Department showed that grant recipients did not always open or expand the number of charter schools they committed to opening or expanding.
We made three recommendations, including that the Department collect data on the number of CSP-funded charter schools that remain open for at least 2 years after CSP funding ended and make that information available to the public, and ensure that CSP grant recipients report clear, reliable, and timely information on the number of charter schools that they opened or expanded using CSP funds.
Oversight and Monitoring—Grantees
Data Quality and Reporting
See other OIG reports involving charter schools.