The House Education Committee has passed a bill that would allow charter schools to locate in any school district (including A, B, and C districts) without local board approval and would permit students to cross district lines to attend charter schools anywhere in the state, taking their local taxes with them.
Ask your legislators to vote NO on expanding charter schools and taking local ad valorem taxes across district lines:
NO on HB 1044 (charter schools in A, B, and C districts)
NO on SB 2161 (charters in C districts – see below)
Click here to find contact information for the legislators who represent your school district.
Capitol Switchboard: 601.359.3770
Share the same message with Lt. Governor Reeves and Speaker Gunn:
Lt. Governor Reeves Capitol: 601.359.3200
Speaker Gunn Capitol: 601.359.3300
SB 2161 also was passed by the Senate Education Committee this afternoon. It would allow charters to locate in C-rated districts without local board approval and, like the House bill, would allow students to cross district lines to attend charter schools anywhere in the state, with local taxes following the student. Both bills could come up for floor votes in the next couple of days.
The current charter school law allows charters to locate only in D and F districts without local board approval; A, B, and C districts must have approval by their own school boards before a charter school can locate within their districts. The current law also restricts students to only those who reside within the district in which the charter school is located (a student cannot cross lines to attend a charter school in another district).
