The recent article on the Peterborough Charter School (Monitor 9/21) raises several issues not directly related to that specific school but rather to the broader issues surrounding education in New Hampshire. First and most obvious is that state aid to charter schools is $9,000 per student while at the same time the state is arguing in court that $4,800 per student provides the constitutionally mandated “adequate” education in public schools. Second is that charter schools can receive unlimited “donations” and do not have to acknowledge from where and for how much those donations are.

And these funds apparently are not subject to state review or audit. This is reminiscent of recent reporting on the school voucher program where the NH Department of Education is saying the process cannot be audited as it is contracted to a third-party; even though there appears to be circumstantial evidence of mismanagement and errors in the program. What could possibly go wrong? Oh yeah! A leader of a charter school in Concord recently found guilty of embezzling over $70,000 from the school.

Jerry Tepe

Concord