Burdensome regulations are limiting the freedom of charter schools and diverting their resources toward paperwork, according to a report published by the American Enterprise Institute. The report highlights the various hoops charter school leaders must jump through just to get their school opened.

Some applications require intricate information that is best handled on a case-by-case basis rather than with one overarching policy. For example, potential charter schools in Colorado have to describe exactly what the school will do if a student forgets his or her lunch. Potential charter school leaders in Louisiana have to describe a time in the past when each board member made a difficult decision.