As supplimentary information:
The state which is widely credited for creating and supporting the idea of Charter Schools the most is the state of Minnesota.
Edison Schools is a large, publically traded (stock ticker EDSN), charter school system. To quote from their web-page:
Edison Schools, founded in 1992, is the country's
leading private manager of public schools. After
engaging in three years of intensive research and
development to design innovative schools that could
operate at public school spending levels, Edison
opened its first four schools in August, 1995, and has
grown rapidly in every subsequent year. Edison has
now implemented its school design in 113 public
schools, including many charter schools, which it
operates under management contracts with local
school districts and charter school boards. More than
57,000 students currently attend Edison partnership
schools.
Edison, aside from most other charters, fully admits to be out to make a profit. It may or may not be bullshit. But it will be an interesting journey for the company, share-holders, and children none-the-less.