ProPublica Reporters Became Private School Owners in 24 Hours
8 hours ago
- ProPublica journalists tested whether anyone can open a private school in the U.S., applying in Arkansas, West Virginia, and North Carolina.
- The experiment was inspired by John Oliver's tax-exempt church and undercover reporting at the Mirage Tavern.
- The team set ethical ground rules: no students would be enrolled, applications would be transparent, and they would stop if the process required illegal acts or misuse of public resources.
- In Arkansas, recognizing a private school required only a form, $45, and an American flag; applying as a microschool for public funds took about 10 minutes with no credentials or background check required.
- In West Virginia, a microschool could be established with proof of a high school diploma and no inspection; the state said it does not approve or deny microschool operations.
- In North Carolina, the experiment ended when officials required school-specific fire and sanitation inspections, which the journalists deemed an inappropriate use of public resources.
- The journalists briefly became school owners and administrators but plan to close the schools; they kept souvenirs and created a quiz for readers.