NEWS

Senate sends charter schools expansion to governor

Geoff Pender
The Clarion-Ledger

The Senate, by a narrow vote, sent a charter schools expansion bill to the governor on Thursday after lengthy debate and with several lawmakers appearing to "take a walk," or be absent for the crucial vote.

Senate Bill 2161, supported by the Republican legislative leadership, would allow students in school districts rated C, D or F to cross district lines — and take per-pupil education funding with them — to attend charter schools. Proponents say this would promote more charter schools particularly in rural areas where a single district would not have enough students to support one. They say charter schools offer choices for parents dissatisfied with standard public schools and that competition will force standard public schools to improve.

Opponents say charter schools siphon money from an already underfunded public education system and the jury is not in on whether the state's two new charter schools are doing a better job than public ones.

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves praised the passage of the bill as a "step in ensuring that every child in Mississippi has an opportunity for success in life."

“This bill should open up the possibility of public charter schools in smaller districts in the Delta and other small struggling districts throughout our state," Reeves said.

The Senate voted 24-21 to send the bill to the governor. Seven Republicans were notably absent for the vote and four — Sens. Nickey Browning, Chad McMahan, Walter Michel and Mike Seymour — voted against it. Three Democrats — Sens. Juan Barnett, Sampson Jackson and Willie Simmons — voted for the bill.

The Senate agreed with changes the House had made to a more expansive original bill. The final version still requires local school board approval before a charter school could open in an A, B, or C district. The House had also removed the Senate's allowance that students in A and B districts also could cross lines to attend a charter school.

"Is there any actual evidence that charter schools are performing better than public schools?" said McMahan, R-Guntown. "... No one has shown me any evidence that they're doing better, yet we're expanding the program."

Senate Education Chairman Gray Tollison, R-Oxford, said Mississippi's two charter schools in Jackson have been open less than a year so there's not enough data to compare. But he said there is "substantial research" of charter schools in other states showing improvement.

"This is a parent's choice, not a member of the Senate's choice," Tollison said. "... Your constituents are deciding for themselves it's better for their children."

A charter school is a publicly funded independent school established by teachers, parents or community groups under the terms of a charter with state authorities. In exchange for being able to operate outside many of the regulations traditional public schools have to follow, the charter agrees to meet performance goals set out in the charter. The Mississippi Legislature passed a law in 2013 that allowed charter schools in Mississippi.

Jackson currently has the only two of these schools in the state — ReImagine Prep and Midtown Public Charter School. Both have plans to expand to serve more grades in upcoming years, and other groups, including Tugaloo College, have announced interest in starting charter schools.

Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, used an analogy of a public swimming pool in Tupelo to argue against the charter schools bill.

"I want you to help me establish a charter pool system," Bryan said. "Empower the parents to choose. We need a charter pool at the country club. Take that public tax money and spend it on a pool at the country club. I think we'll have better swimming all over the city of Tupelo if we have a system of charter swimming pools."

Sen. David Jordan, D-Greenwood, said it's unfair that lawmakers have failed to adequately fund public schools, and now are trying to replace them.

"This is our own creation," Jordan said. "Many of our schools are rock-bottom poor, and now we are trying to punish them with this new idea. When that doesn't work, we'll try another concept ... Don't tell me public schools don't work. They do when we meet our obligations to them."

Sen. Sollie Norwood, D-Jackson, asked Tollison: "Are you aware that our actions are destroying Jackson Public Schools?"

.Tollison responded: "I disagree ... We need to be in the business of educating every child in this school district and across the state. We agree on that. This is a parent's choice, not a member of the Senate's choice. Your constituents are deciding for themselves it's better for their children. If this city is going to survive, public education will be a big part of that. And we need partnership and collaboration."

Those senators absent for the vote were: Videt Carmichael, Denis DeBar Jr., Briggs Hopson III, Chris Massey, Philip Moran, Rita Potts Parks and Sean Tindell.

Contact  Geoff Pender at (601) 961-7266 or gpender@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @GeoffPender on Twitter.

Superintendents across all of Mississippi's 144 school districts will be appointed by 2019.