How would the Wake County school system be impacted by a bill that would allow charter schools to expand their grade levels without state approval?
House Bill 250 would allow charter schools to add one grade level each year without going to the state Board of Education. Charter schools who now want to go beyond the grade levels they were approved to offer need to get the okay of the state Board.
The bill is in limbo. On Tuesday, the House voted not to concur with the version the Senate approved. A conference committee will try to iron out the differences.
The original version of the bill approved by the House only dealt with charter school admissions policies, such as making it easier for siblings and children of people connected to the school to be admitted. It also makes it easier for families who leave charter schools to be readmitted.
The liberal N.C. Policy Watch has done several articles on how the bill was amended in the Senate to include the language about expanding grades without state Board approval.
After Arapahoe Charter School's request to expand from K-9 to K-12 was rejected by the state Board, the Pamlico County charter school turned to legislators for help.
The version approved by the Senate Education Committee last month said charters didn't need state Board approval to:
* Expand to offer grades four and five if the charter school has previously been authorized to offer grades kindergarten through third grade.
* Expand to offer grades seven and eight if the charter school has previously been authorized to offer grade six.
* Expand to offer grades 10, 11, and 12 if the charter school has previously been authorized to offer grade nine.
The traditional public schools were not happy about that change.
But the version approved by the Senate last week amended the wording to say "expand to offer one grade higher than the charter school currently offers."
When it got to the House agenda on Tuesday, the body had the choice of approving the revised version or voting no. They went no so we'll see what the conference committee comes up with.
Imagine what could happen in Wake if the existing and new charter schools could on their own expand grades. Could it lead to more K-12 and K-8 charters competing against the district?
