Should teachers at for profit schools get tax payer funded pensions

From Tampa Bay.coms gradebook

by Jeff Solocheck

To many, Florida looks like fertile grounds for charter school expansion. Lawmakers have been so friendly that a coalition of parent groups recently joined forces to protest one of the latest proposals, which they argue would take too much money away from the traditional public school system.

But even charter school operators have their concerns that the good times might not last.

Cheri Shannon, executive director of Florida's new Charter School Alliance, this week sent out an urgent call to action for supporters. She's worried that a recently proposed IRS regulation could make it near impossible for charters to find teachers. She writes in her alert:

"Presently, every single state that authorizes charter schools either requires or permits charter school participation in the state’s retirement system. Therefore, this regulation would negatively impact nearly all charter schools and charter school teachers in the country. All of these teachers will be forced to either leave their charter schools or lose their accrued pension wealth. Charter schools will have trouble recruiting and keeping veteran teachers, negatively affecting the movement as a whole.

"If these regulations are passed, more than 90% of our country’s charter school workforce will be affected. For this reason, we cannot allow these regulations to be adopted in their current form. Please assist us in preventing the adoption of these unfair regulations."

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/content/even-charter-schools-have-their-worries