$153m has been allocated in the 2024 budget to establish Charter Schools in Aotearoa by the coalition government, after being previously shut down by the last Labour Government in 2018, to establish 50 new charter schools. This system of education has come under controversy by many, over concerns these schools can allocate funding however they see fit with almost total discretion, teach any curriculum they want to, and are not required to hire teachers with adequate teaching certificates, unlike schools in the public sector. News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Auckland, Jude MacArthur, about the concern with Charter Schools specifically assisting students who have a disability and/or are neurodivergent.