The word “public” is an important part of charter school messaging. They’re not privatizing public education, they tell us, they’re “public charter schools.” And yet a USA Today investigation finds that charter schools got at least $1 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans because they are private businesses. (Disclosure: Kos Media received a Paycheck Protection Program loan.)
The PPP loans were forgivable for businesses that didn’t lay off workers after getting the money. But some businesses needed them more than others, and charter schools were not at the top of the list, since they do receive substantial public funding. USA Today found that 93% of the charter schools receiving PPP loans also got their usual public money, and the schools also were eligible for federal COVID-19 grants to support social distancing. Actual public schools were eligible for the COVID-19 grants, but not PPP.
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