CapitolBeatOK Staff Report

Published: 03-Apr-2010

The Senate Education committee advanced House Bill 2753 by President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee of Oklahoma City and state Rep. Lee Denney  of Cushing, moving the charter school agenda forward. The two Republicans are gaining bipartisan support for their efforts.

Approved before the education panel this week, H.B. 2753 removes many restrictions that previously prohibited the advancement of charter schools.  Coffee says this is a positive stride in giving charter schools the freedom to provide quality choices to parents and students across our state.

“Charter schools have proven over the years to be great choices for students, providing alternative ways for them to succeed academically,” said Coffee. “Our efforts continue today with passage of H.B. 2753 and we are one step closer to bringing great reform to Oklahoma’s education system.” Coffee ha become a major proponent of more vigorous public charter schools, an area where many conservatives and the Obama administration agree.

The provisions in H.B. 2753 include:

•                Authorizing school districts, technology center school districts, and comprehensive or regional institutions in the State System of Higher Education to sponsor charter schools, provided the charter school is located in a school district that has a school site on the school improvement list.

•                Removing the requirement that the State Board of Education determine whether a new charter school exceeds the limit on establishing more than three charter schools per year in each county having more than 500,000 in population. It also removes the requirement that the board not fund any schools that are over that limit.

H.B. 2753 is now pending on the Senate floor.