Bill to OK tax money for charter school construction clears NC legislature

For the first time in North Carolina, charter schools could get building construction money from county governments under a bill that state legislators passed Wednesday.

House Bill 219 would also make it easier for charter schools, which get public funding but operate with fewer regulations than traditional public schools, to expand. It would also let charters give admissions priority to students who attend certain pre-schools.

The bill passed the North Carolina House on a 61-41 vote, with four Democrats joining the Republican majority in support. It heads now to Gov. Roy Cooper, who can make the bill law or veto it and send it back to the legislature for more discussion.

Charter schools get state funding now for operations, but they're generally supposed to finance their own buildings. This bill would leave it up to county commissions whether to put local tax dollars toward charter school construction.

The measure also lifts restrictions that cap a charter school's growth at 30% a year, and it includes a number of other changes to the rules governing charter schools.

State lawmakers dropped from the bill controversial language that would have forced traditional public schools to share more funding with charters.