Three stand out. First, private companies manage most of Michigan's charter schools under contract. There are troubling questions about who is accountable to whom under these contracts. Sometimes companies form the boards of the charter schools that hire them. Companies, rather than schools, own key assets, including buildings.
Some companies resist disclosing how they use public money.
Second, by drawing away students and revenues, charter schools cause harm to many of the schools, both public and private, that serve poor children. Choice creates pressure on these schools to improve, but pressure by itself is not enough. Unless these schools are given support to make needed changes, they will be pushed into an accelerating downward spiral. Their students will be the losers. Finally, all Michigan schools have an incentive to specialize in the education of less costly students, because of the way the state distributes funds.