News & Resources

Senate Revives Charter School Legislation

04/12/2012

Senator Gray Tollison, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, introduced a strike all amendment (i.e., delete all language in a bill and replace it with new language) for HB 1152 on the Senate floor yesterday afternoon. As passed the House, HB 1152 was a technical amendment bill that corrected a technical deficiency in the 2010 charter conversion bill. The Senate Education Committee passed HB 1152 on April 3 with the same language as was passed by the full House. SB 2401, the Senate’s charter school bill, was killed in the House Education Committee later that same day. Talk began at the capitol that afternoon that the Senate would try to revive charter school legislation via a floor amendment of HB 1152. Senate floor debate lasted approximately one hour yesterday afternoon. Senator Tollison’s strike all amendment passed and HB 1152 was then passed by a vote of 31 yeahs to 19 nays. The following 31 senators voted to pass/adopt HB 1152 as amended: Senators Brown, Browning, Burton, Carmichael, Chassaniol, Clarke, Collins, Doty, Fillingane, Flowers, Gandy, Gollott, Harkins, Hill, Hopson, Hudson, Jackson (15th), Kirby, Lee, Longwitz, McDaniel, Montgomery, Moran, Parks, Polk, Smith, Sojourner, Tindell, Tollison, Ward and Wiggins. The following 19 senators voted against HB 1152: Senators Blount, Bryan, Butler (36th), Butler (38th), Dawkins, Frazier, Hale, Harden, Horhn, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Jones, Jordan, Massey, Simmons (12th), Simmons (13th), Stone, Turner and Wilemon. As passed the Senate yesterday, HB 1152: • Provides that a majority of the members of the local school board in a Star, High Performing and Successful district must give approval for a charter to locate within the district between now and July 1, 2015. Beginning July 1, 2015, local board approval is required only in Star and High Performing districts. Thus, local board approval will not be required in Successful districts after July 1, 2015. • Creates the 7-member Mississippi Public Charter School Authorizing Board to authorize charter schools throughout the state. 3 of the members will be appointed by the Governor, 3 by the Lt. Governor and 1 by the State Superintendent of Education. HB 1152 provides for funding of the Public Charter School Accountability Board and its Executive Director by a deduction of 3% of state and local per-pupil allocations received by public charter schools the Board authorizes. • Provides that public charter schools shall be subject to the student assessment and accountability requirements applicable to other public schools in the state. • Exempts 50% teachers in charter schools from state certification requirements. 100% of charter school administrators are exempt from certification requirements. • Prohibits virtual charter schools, but allows charter schools to contract for virtual classes according to current state statute. • Allows students to cross district lines to attend charter school, with the money to follow the child. • Repeals existing law regarding charter conversion schools and New Start schools. HB 1152 now heads back to the House of Representatives for representatives to either concur (agree) with the Senate’s changes or to invite conference on the bill to try to reach a compromise.