FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 20, 2026
CONTACT: mstern@osod.org
Our Schools Our Democracy calls for Governor Abbott to include charter schools in audit of Texas school spending
State data shows that charter schools spend 56% more of total operating expenditures on central administration compared to public school districts
TEXAS – Yesterday, Governor Abbott directed Comptroller Huffines to review spending in four Texas independent school districts to “ensure that taxpayer dollars directly reach students, classrooms, and teachers, instead of being absorbed by central-office growth, administrative bloat, consultants, and the web of noninstructional bureaucracy.” The letter did not request a similar review of charter school spending.
Charter schools statewide spend 56% more of total annual operating expenditures on central administration costs compared to public school districts (2023-24 TEA Snapshot Report). According to TEA data on annual expenditure:
- Charter schools statewide on average spent 10.6% of total annual operating expenditures on central administration costs in 2023-24 (the most recent TEA Snapshot data available). Comparatively, all public school districts on average spent 6.8% on central administration.
- Charter schools spent an average of $547 more per student for central administration expenses compared to public school districts.
- If charters had spent the same percentage as public school districts on average, they would have saved $197 million that could have been spent in classrooms for students.
- Some of the largest charter schools in Texas spent an even higher percentage of their budget on central administration compared to the statewide charter average:
- Great Hearts Texas: 13.8%
- YES Prep: 12.9%
- IDEA Public Schools: 12.4%
- KIPP Texas: 11.9%
- BASIS Charter Schools: 11.8%
“The data is clear: the real administrative bloat is happening in TEA and TEA-approved charter schools,” said Carrie Griffith, Executive Director of Our Schools Our Democracy. “We urge Governor Abbott to protect taxpayer dollars by widening the scope of any audit to include charter spending.”
Governor Abbott’s letter came the same day that the State Auditor’s Office issued an audit of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) that found that TEA employed one manager for every 3.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees – three times the statutory limit of one manager for every 11 FTEs (OSOD press release).
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Our Schools Our Democracy (OSOD) is a Texas-based nonpartisan and independent 501c3 nonprofit organization established to protect the fundamental rights of all Texans to a free, public education through research, education, outreach, and advocacy. OSOD educates and informs Texans about the threats posed by school privatization including unlimited charter school expansion and private school vouchers.