Stripped of charter school approval power, State Board of Education wants funding review
The State Board of Education will vote Thursday on a new policy requiring certain oversight before the board provides funding for charter schools.
The board’s Democratic members favor the proposed policy, while its Republican members argue it’s vague and could give the board too much authority over charter school funding. It’s the latest battle over power over North Carolina public education, after various new state laws have shifted authority from governor-appointed boards to legislator-appointed boards.
A new state law enacted last month strips the State Board of Education of its ability to approve charter school applications. The board rarely, but sometimes, denied applications.
A new Charter School Review Board now has authority over applications, under the new law.
Under a policy presented publicly for the first time Wednesday, the charter panel would be required to present several documents before the State Board of Education. Those would include charter panel-approved charter school applications for opening or renewal, including funding details, and all charter panel-approved “material changes” to a school’s charter that could change funding amounts.
The State Board of Education would review all of those documents before disbursing funds to the schools, to ensure plans are complaint with state and federal funding regulations. The policy does not state that the board will withhold funding for any reason or include a list of reasons funding would be withheld.
Board Chairman Eric Davis said the board must ensure public funds are properly spent and would disburse funds based on an interpretation of whether they complied with law.
“Seven charter schools have closed in four years,” he said. “At least five of them with questionable financial situations which are currently being reviewed by state officials.”
Davis is referring to a handful of schools that have had their charters revoked or have surrendered them after state officials determined they had improperly accounted for funds and students.
Superintendent Catherine Truitt, who is a non-voting board member and a Republican, said the proposed policy is “vague” and only came to her desk last Thursday.
“There should have been more time to review this,” Truitt said, noting that lawmakers originally passed the bill in June. The overrode a Cooper veto Aug. 16.
The board typically reviews a new policy or policy revision a month before voting on it.
But the Charter School Review Board will begin meeting Friday and discuss approval of new charters next week.
Davis said the state board could choose either to forgo adopting a policy entirely or ask the Charter School Review Board to hold off on making decisions.
The new law this summer was the latest move by the Republican-controlled General Assembly to shift appointments over to lawmakers and away from the Democratic state governor, Roy Cooper. The new Charter School Review Board is comprised mostly of legislative appointees. The State Board of Education is comprised mostly of governor appointees.
But on Wednesday, Republican State Board of Education members accused Democratic members of political maneuvering to circumvent the new law.
“It’s ridiculous,” Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a voting board member and Republican, said. “This is a serious policy change.”
Robinson’s wife, Yolanda, sits on the board of a Union County charter school whose application has previously been denied by the State Board of Education, American Leadership Academy Monroe. The board had denied the application because of concerns about its operator, Charter One.
Two state senators who were the new law’s primary sponsors told WCNC they wanted to pass the law to help get the school approved.
Robinson did not recuse himself from discussion on the policy proposal Wednesday. He said the proposed policy should spell out what the State Board of Education might do and why.
“If I’m going to give you power, I want to make sure it’s going to be used right,” Robinson said.
