On Thursday, the Alabama House of Representatives passed legislation making several changes to the Alabama Public School Charter Commission.
House Bill 363 (HB363) is sponsored by State Representative Terri Collins.
The Alabama School Choice and Student Opportunity Act changes the appointment process for the Alabama Public Charter School Commission; authorizes the Commission to hire staff; requires commissioners to receive annual training; provides additional guidelines for the authorizing and application review process; provides further for the operational and categorical funding of public charter schools in their first year of operation; and clarifies the per pupil federal, state, and local funding of conversion public charter schools during their first year of operation.
“All charter schools are public schools,” explained Rep. Collins. “We have three conversion schools in Montgomery, Mobile, west Alabama, Birmingham has a few, Fairfield, and there are a couple more in Montgomery.”
“A public system could choose to make a starter school,” Collins stated. “If they have a specific need, they can do it through the charter process.”
Collins explained how a public system can convert a failing public school to a charter public school through the formal conversion process.
Rep. Tracy Estes thanked Collins for bringing the bill and the hard work in crafting the substitute.
The House voted to adopt the negotiated substitute version of the bill to address issues that some members had with the original legislation in a 88 to 13 vote.
Rep. Mark Gidley said, “I want to express my appreciation for how you have worked hard on this.”
Rep. Jamie Kiel brought an amendment that would restore the local school board as an authorizer. An earlier version of the bill removed that.
This amendment was ratified.
“I appreciate you working with all of the parties on this,” Kiel said to Collins.
Rep. Barbara Boyd said, “I want to thank you for where you have gone and for working with all of the parties, but I would still have preferred magnet schools because those are set aside for specific purposes. I am going to have to vote no today.”
“They have to be nonprofit,” Collins said of charter schools. “They can’t be a for-profit. They have to have local support.”
Rep. Laura Hall said, “African American boys have a great need, particularly between K and 3irth grade.”
Hall said that she had visited the new aviation-focused charter school in Fairfield.
“I have been there,” Collins said. “What they are doing is very exciting.”
Collins said that students there can work on actual planes and “learn takeoff and landing through a simulator.”
Hall said, “The dollars that the system has used sound like they are very well used.”
Collins said, “They do everything that a public school does. They do ACAP. They give grades.”
Collins said that members of the Commission would be appointed by the governor, the lieutenant governor, the Speaker of the House, the Senate Pro Tem, the House Minority Leader, and the Senate Minority Leader.
“They look at applications, and they approve or disapprove,” Collin said of the Commission. “This extends their term from two years to four years.”
Rep. TaShina Morris suggested changing the bill so that the state superintendent of education hires the Commission staff.
Collins said, “No, we want the commission to choose their own employees.”
Rep. Mary Moore said, “I don’t think the state of Alabama can support multiple forms of public schools with one pot of money for education.”
Moore complained that the local school board can deny a charter application and “the state of Alabama will go ahead and authorize them to be a charter school when they know they are deficient.”
Moore attacked the performance of charter schools.
“They (students) are coming back to public schools, and they are not able to do the work,” Moore said. “They are not doing their due diligence. They are not hiring proper teachers. They have teachers that don’t even know how to set up a proper classroom.”
Collins replied, “They all have a long waiting list to get in. I don’t know of any who are coming back.”
Moore said, “They are taking dollars from the public schools, and they are hurting public schools because they are taking resources.”
Collins said, “Charter schools are public schools.”
The Alabama House passed HB363 in a 76 to 25 vote.
The legislation now goes to the Senate for their consideration.
Thursday was day 20 of the 2023 Alabama Regular Legislative Session. The House convenes at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
