Out in Idaho, which came late to the charter school party (the state's charter school law was only passed in 1998), the public is being invited to comment on proposed new regulations that will significantly alter the charter scene there. They're a mixed bag. We like the creation of a public charter commission to serve as an authorizer and court of appeal for charters denied by the local district - something that has happened far too often there. (Still, we would have been happier with a more diverse set of authorizers that included nonprofits and universities.) And while a six-per-year cap on the creation of new charters won't be a problem immediately in a small state like Idaho, it may become one as charters expand under the more friendly state charter board. Perhaps the biggest shortcoming of these new rules is that they don't correct the serious per-pupil shortfall in state funding for charters - Idaho charters get 60 to 70 percent of what district schools get on a per-pupil basis, with no facilities assistance. So, the new rules are a start, but let's hope not the end, of a needed loosening of the Idaho charter environment.
"Locals suggest charter rules," by Jessica Adams, Idaho Press-Tribune, October 16, 2004
"Rules governing public charter schools," Idaho Board of Education