He had been doing OK, not great, at his old school. But now he was being reclassified as a special-education student - and his new school was getting an additional $12,000 from the Chester Upland School District to educate him.

Sadly, Johnny isn't alone.

Nearly 30 percent of the 2,000 Chester Community Charter students - most of them black or Hispanic - have been placed in special-education classes.

There is something alarming about that picture.

Could it be that their classification has more to do with the extra cash that designation brings to the company that operates the school?

Only 16 percent and 7 percent, respectively, are classified as special-ed students in the district's other two charter schools. About 20 percent of the district's noncharter students are in special-ed classes.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is reviewing whether Chester Community has overidentified its special-education population, according to spokeswoman Sheila Ballen. She calls the review "routine" and says there have been no allegations of wrongdoing. District officials, however, say they are concerned.

An investigation is important because a special-education label can be tantamount to a "life sentence" of low expectations for many minority students. They can receive a less-rigorous education, and studies show they are more likely to drop out of school.

Nationally, experts say minorities are often overrepresented in special-ed classes compared with their percentages of the overall student population.

Chester Community should be given a chance to explain to state officials why its students are disproportionately placed in special-ed classes.

There could be a legitimate reason. But the situation certainly raises the disturbing prospect that students are being placed in special-education classes for financial gain.

The charter school receives three times as much funding from the school district for a special-ed student, compared with what it's given for a general-education student.

That extra money could be the key to meeting the bottom line for Charter School Management Inc., the for-profit company that operates Chester Community.

Since opening in 1998, Chester Community has become one of the largest elementary charter schools in the country.

But parents must be concerned about its zeal to put their children in special ed.

Federal law requires schools to teach special-education students in the "least-restrictive environment." Being inappropriately placed in a self-contained classroom falls far short of that goal.

The state Department of Education must move quickly to complete its review and report its findings. Chester's children and their parents deserve an answer.