Charter Schools

The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board held its second meeting on October 21. Board Chair Tommie Cardin of Clinton presided; the primary topics were the Request for Proposals (RFP), possible timelines, and the hiring of a consultant or executive director. The board faces a December 1 deadline – imposed by law – to issue the […]

The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board held its first meeting on September 19. Butler Snow attorney Tommie Cardin of Clinton was elected chair and realtor Chris Wilson of Laurel was elected vice chair. The board faces a December 1 deadline to issue the Request for Proposals (RFP) for charter school applications but has no budget

I know that many of you are very skeptical of charter schools, and I share some of that skepticism. I also know that thousands of Mississippi children have been trapped for years in chronically underperforming schools. We have to do something for these children, and we need to do something now. Many believe that it

Charter school lobbyists are having a lot of influence in Mississippi’s charter school debate. The following are some of those representing the charter school, for-profit and virtual school lobby. Butler Snow Advisory Group has several of its lobbyists assigned to clients with a vested interest in charter school legislation, including the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, which pushes

I’ve often heard posed the question, “If charter schools are so great, why not make all public schools charter schools?” Here’s the answer… Traditional public schools are required to educate any child who lives within the district walks through the schoolhouse door. While charter schools are prohibited from discriminating based upon race, religion, etc., they can –

At a December 12, 2012 joint meeting of the House and Senate Education Committees, members heard a description of a charter school bill proposed by Senate Education Chairman Gray Tollison. The bill, as presented, contains a number of provisions that are extremely worrisome. Similar provisions have contributed to a disproportionate number of charter school failures

A charter school is a school that is funded with public tax dollars and run by a private entity. Charter schools are usually freed from many of the regulations governing traditional public schools. The original intent of charter schools was to provide them freedom to operate, in order to encourage innovation, while holding the charters to