BATON ROUGE, La. — This week the Louisiana legislature gave final approval to legislation that will eliminate the cap on the number of charter schools allowed to operate in the state – an action that should make Louisiana a strong contender in its pursuit of Race to the Top funds.
President Barack Obama has called on all states to lift their charter school caps, and his appointed Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, has indicated that states that do so will be viewed more favorably when the federal agency doles out money from the $4.35 billion Race to the Top funds. House Bill 519, authored by Rep. Walt Leger III, D-New Orleans, does exactly that – as it removes the restriction limiting charter schools, which was raised from 42 to 70 last year.
While the legislation was originally written to set an administrative fee on charter schools, Leger amended the bill to remove the restriction on the number of charter schools permitted to operate in Louisiana. Gov. Bobby Jindal is expected to sign the bill into law, which would become effective July 1, 2009.
“As we seek to inspire innovation in school communities across Louisiana, it is important for us to give just consideration to all potential partners,” State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek said. “While we recognize that charter schools are not the solution to all of our challenges, there is strong evidence to suggest that in some cases charter schools are more effective at raising student achievement in Louisiana. We believe this legislation is crucial to Louisiana’s public education reform efforts, and strengthens the state’s position as we compete for Race to the Top funding.”
Secretary Duncan has indicated that Louisiana is a strong contender to receive a share of the competitive grant, largely due to the innovative programs that are being implemented through the Recovery School District. And while the newly passed legislation may further strengthen Louisiana’s chance at securing a share of the $4.35 billion pot, Louisiana Department of Education officials said the number of charter schools in the state would not increase arbitrarily.
“This bill does not exempt charter applicants from the state’s authorization process or accountability standards, which are designed to ensure that only high-quality charter school applicants are approved to operate in the state,” Pastorek continued. “We will continue to recruit and retain only the highest quality charter school providers to Louisiana.”
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