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A story this week provided an incomplete explanation for charter school growth in LA Unified and California, omitting reasons other than the distribution of federal dollars to account for their rapid increase.

In a statement to LA School Report, As the California Charter Schools Association said another driving force is a desire by families for wider academic choices for their children.

The story also mischaracterized the rate of growth of charters in California over the last 10 years. They have more than doubled, to 1,130, not “risen by half,” as the story said.

Here is a statement from the charter schools association:

“Momentum in the charter movement continues to grow year after year as parents and communities across the state turn to charter schools in ever greater numbers. As of 2013, there were a total of 1,130 charters in California. This number has more than doubled since the 2003 school year when there were 443 charters. And now a record 90,000 students on charter school wait lists across the state, approximately 36,000 of them in LAUSD alone.

“This unprecedented growth indicates that many more families would choose the charter public school option if there were sufficient space to serve them, and educators want to work in more flexible and innovative teaching environments.”