GOP lawmakers push plan to expand charters

Republican lawmakers have begun their push to expand charter schools, one of the planks of GOP Gov. Mitch Daniels' sweeping education agenda.

The House Education Committee discussed a bill Wednesday to allow more charter schools, which are public schools that are free of certain state regulations. The bill also would let charters share state transportation funds with traditional public schools and makes other changes to promote charters.

Some Democrats and school leaders asked tough questions about the proposal, arguing that it would take money away from cash-strapped traditional schools. The bill also got some pushback from public school leaders at Wednesday's hearing, where lawmakers heard more than four hours of testimony about the proposal.

Some Democrats support the expansion of charter schools, but those who don't will have little say this year because Republicans control the Senate and House. The GOP-led committee amended the bill Wednesday, leading to some confusion from education leaders about exactly what the bill contained. The committee could vote on the bill as early as Monday.

House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said the charter school proposal would spur a "revolutionary transformation" in education.

"This is a major transformation," said Bosma, the bill's sponsor. "It's my goal to make Indiana one of the top charter environments in the nation."

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett said the bill would increase accountability by holding charter schools to some of the same consequences of poor academic performance as traditional public schools.

"We have to be about quality options for children," said Bennett, who along with Daniels supports the expansion of charter schools.

The bill would authorize more entities to create charter schools. Currently only school boards, the mayor of Indianapolis and public colleges that offer four-year degrees can start charter schools.

Under the proposal, a new state authorizing board could form new charter schools, and mayors of mid-size cities and private universities could sponsor them.

Some opponents balked at the idea of private colleges forming charter schools. Others said having too many charter school sponsors would make it hard to control their quality.

The bill also would remove limits on the amount of charters that mayors can create and lifts the current cap on virtual charter schools that provide most of their instruction online. Under the proposal, virtual charter schools would get more tuition support money from the state.

Charter schools would be allowed to share transportation money, which Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Eugene White said would be a problem for the state's largest district. White said IPS is already projected to lose millions for transportation because of limits on property taxes and could lose more if part of Indianapolis' transportation funds had to be shared among the many charter schools in the city.

White said the loss of funding would "devastate" the district's magnet school program that transports students across the city to specialized schools focusing on different academic subjects.

"It would truly compromise our unique programs," White said. "We are competing against each other for something we all should have."

But Bosma said charter schools are public and deserve public transportation money — even if it means that traditional public school corporations are under more financial pressure.

The bill, along with another bill discussed in a Senate committee Wednesday, also aims to allow charter schools to use abandoned or closed public schools.

Also Wednesday, the Senate Education Committee met to discuss Daniels' proposal to give high school seniors a $3,500 college scholarship if they graduate a year early. The money would be taken from annual funding that the student would have brought to the high school had he or she stayed for another year, and the school would keep the remainder of that student's funding.

Supporters said the scholarship would mean more education options for students.

Critics argue that the scholarships could spur some students taking high school advanced placement or dual credit classes to opt for a head start on college, which could make it difficult for schools to continue offering those classes. Others worry whether high school students as young as 16 are mature enough to attend college, but Daniels says he'll leave it up to families to make that decision.

The early graduation scholarship bill could be voted on next week.