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Bill would usurp local control on charter schoolsThu, 04/03/2008 - 9:42am
By: The Citizen
Time running out for House to vote on amended bill from Senate A bill that would drastically change how charter schools are approved in Georgia may still have some life as the legislature approaches its final day tomorrow. The bill would also allow such schools to receive all federal, state and local funding that otherwise would have been attributed to that student. The bill would create a charter school commission that would authorize or deny charter school applications. Currently such powers are relegated expressly to local boards of education. The current version of House Bill 881 is an amendment offered by the Senate, which means the House will have to vote on the measure again. It’s not clear if that will happen tomorrow, though, as it’s not on the current calendar of bills to be considered. The bill possibly could be added onto the House calendar by the Rules committee, which meets later today. The current version of the bill has commission members being appointed by the state BoE, with three appointees recommended by Gov. Sonny Perdue, two appointees recommended by the President of the Senate and two appointees recommended by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. In an email to a constituent, Rep. Matt Ramsey said the bill is meant to allow charter schools to be approved particularly in failing school districts, which have over the past few years rebuffed efforts to create charter schools by denying such applications. Ramsey also noted that due to the high quality of Fayette County schools he doesn’t think there will be a need for another public school, as all charter schools are also public schools where no tuition can be charged. The bill allows the commission to preliminarily approve a charter school petition even if the petitioner hasn’t secured space, equipment or personnel if such is needed “for the petitioner to raise working capital.” Although the state Board of Education would have the power to overrule the commission’s decisions with a two-thirds vote. But a petitioner whose application is denied in that manner can reapply to the commission for approval after “remedying any deficiencies cited by the State Board of Education.” login to post comments
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