Four groups seeking to open charter schools in Texas turned in applications last year that had sections copied from other applications and even claimed parts of another school's public hearing summary as their own.
The aspiring charter operators signed the applications attesting to their accuracy with the hope of winning approval from the State Board of Education.
The newspaper said the board largely dismissed concerns about the copied material. But the head of the public integrity unit of the Travis County district attorney's office said the practice could be fraudulent.
Concerns about the vetting process for applications come as Gov. Rick Perry and state lawmakers push to allow more charter schools, which receive more than $1 billion in state funds each year.
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Information from: The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.