In the House…
Yesterday the House K-12 Education Policy Committee passed the 2009 Charter School Accountability and Reform Bill authored by Representative Linda Slocum, Richfield.
The action of the Committee is the culmination of two weeks of intensive activity, which included extensive negotiations and consultations, countless meetings and phone calls, and four days of public hearings.
Overall the bill includes:
NOTE:
While the bill contains all of the major elements of the MACS legislative agenda, the bill does contain a poisonous provision that prohibits charters from being located or relocated within a mile of a school that has been closed by a school district or in a newly consolidated district for three years unless approval is received from the school district that closed the school or from the consolidated district.
From the perspective of the overall future of the charter school movement, this provision is extremely problematic, especially in urban areas.
The bill was referred to the K-12 Education Finance Committee which plans to hold its own hearings on the legislation next week, when there will be further discussions and amendments. (Another attempt to remove or amend the above mentioned provision will be made next week in the House K-12 Education Finance Committee.)
In the Senate…
As things move forward in the House, the Senate has announced that it will begin the process of putting together its charter school legislation tomorrow morning. It is expected that the Senate Working Group on Charters will have a version within a week to 10 days for consideration by the Senate K-12 Education Committee.
Eugene Piccolo