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Senate Compromises on Bill for School Charter Sponsors

Posted on: Thursday, 26 January 2006, 03:03 CST

By Kirsten Singleton< Morris News Service

COLUMBIA - After hours of debate and behind-the-scenes scrambling to reach agreement, the state Senate compromised Tuesday on a bill to allow the state to sponsor charter schools.

"Bottom line, it did no harm, and I think there's the potential to do some good," said Sen. Vincent Sheheen, D-Camden.

Mr. Sheheen spoke on House Bill 3010 for most of the afternoon - not in protest of the basic principle of a statewide charter school district, but in favor of several compromises, including over who would administer the statewide district.

The original bill created a new, separate board to be under the governor's control.

Mr. Sheheen said that between the state board of education, the Education Oversight Committee, a state superintendent of education and dozens of school boards, the state already has enough school administration.

Creating another board to oversee the new statewide charter school district being proposed would be beyond superfluous, he said.

"All we're going to do is get more gridlock in government," Mr. Sheheen said.

Supporters of the bill argued two things:

Charter schools help improve South Carolina's education system by providing more educational options and encouraging parental involvement.

Though a 1996 act allowed for charter schools to be established in South Carolina, conflicts between school districts and charters make revisions to the law necessary.

Charter schools are public, nonreligious, nonprofit, non-home- based schools that operate separately from a public school district. Currently, there are 27 operating in the state.

Charters need a sponsor, however, and state law allows only a local school district to be the sponsor.

That has led to conflicts in some cases between school districts and groups trying to form a charter school - in large part because state funding follows a student. So if a child switches to a charter school, the local school district loses state funding for that child.

The bill's supporters say that, for this reason, there needs to be another sponsorship option.

A statewide district is not the only option. Other states allow a separate organization, such as a university, to sponsor a charter school.

"I think that would have been a better approach," Mr. Sheheen said. "But that's not the approach that the majority put on the floor of the Senate."

Mr. Sheheen said he does not oppose a statewide district.

Other Democrats, however, argued that the government needs to try to improve the public school system as a whole.

"(Lawmakers seem to) want to do everything except fund these schools like we ought to fund these schools and educate all the students of South Carolina," said Sen. Kay Patterson, D-Columbia.

Republicans argued that they have tried in the past to pass different charter school proposals, but have been blocked by Democrats.

Sen. Jim Ritchie, R-Spartanburg, said he has not seen the state board of education, which is charged with settling disputes between school districts and proposed charters, be supportive of charters.

So, Mr. Ritchie objected to the state board now being chosen to administer the statewide charter school district.

Senators recessed just after 4 p.m. and, three hours later, presented a compromise.

Reach Kirsten Singleton at 803-414-6611 or kirsten.singleton@morris.com.

Source: Augusta Chronicle, The

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