The push is on to open up the job of authorizing charter schools to more entities. (See Fordham's report on charter school authorizing, which advocated just such a move, at http://www.edexcellence.net/detail/news.cfm?news_id=67). So far, however, success is rare. We reported a few weeks ago about a bill in Colorado to create a statewide authorizing board (see http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/issue.cfm?issue=138#1698); that bill is still pending. In California, the indomitable Caprice Young, head of the statewide charter association, is pushing the General Assembly to approve a plan to allow state universities and community colleges to issue charters. And in Idaho, an attempt to create a statewide board to issue charters - a major plank of Gov. Dirk Kempthorne's charter reform package - failed, though the board will now hear appeals from schools whose applications are rejected or whose charters are not reissued. The move came after an intense legislative fight over whether Idaho's charters were serving their intended populations or functioning as havens for middle class kids whose parents were looking to spring them from local district schools.
"Teachers, boards accept charter school reform package," Associated Press, March 15, 2004 (registration required)
"The big picture on charter schools gets swept to the side," Idaho Statesman, March 16, 2004
"Bill would relax charter school rules," by Suzanne Pardington, San Jose Mercury News, March 15, 2004