MIDLAND, Mich. —Under the guise of "transparency," the Michigan State Board of Education has passed a resolution that would end charter schools as we know them in Michigan.

A press release describing the April 10 resolution says it calls for laws that would give the Michigan Department of Education, which is overseen by the state board, control over where and whether charter schools are allowed to open or expand. The department could only make this decision after “consultation with the local district in which the charter will operate.” As charter schools are an alternative to conventional districts, it is highly unlikely that districts will support the opening of a new charter school in their territory.

Current law allows public universities and community colleges to authorize new charter schools, and this is how most charter schools operate in Michigan. Most begin when local parents partner with a university or community college to explore the feasibility of operating a charter school in their neighborhood. The state board’s resolution would give the state Department of Education veto power over those local decisions and choices.

The current board appears antagonistic to school choice. The sponsor of the resolution, Mitchell Robinson, openly cheers the end of what he calls the charter school “experiment.” In a now-deleted private blog post from 2016, he compared public charter schools to private prisons. Other board members have also expressed disapproval of public, private and homeschooling choices.

“The State Board of Education in Michigan should not stand in the way of educational options parents are desperately seeking,” said Dr. Molly Macek, director of education policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. "And allowing local public schools to have input on whether a charter school can be allowed to open is like giving Kroger the ability to decide whether a Meijer can open nearby. Of course, they will always oppose it. That's not what is good for students and families.”

The board’s claim that this move promotes transparency is a red herring. Charter schools are subject to the same transparency laws as all public schools. They serve a disproportionate share of low-income and minority students in Michigan compared to conventional districts.

Studies typically find that students enrolled in charter schools, especially low-income and minority students, perform academically better than their peers in district-run schools. Public charter schools are ultimately accountable to the families they serve, because without their active choice to attend, the schools could not exist. And parents of charter school students overwhelmingly report being satisfied with their decision.