It has been a beneficial spring for the public charter school movement. That’s the key finding outlined in a new blog post from Todd Ziebarth, the senior vice president of state advocacy and support at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. During the Spring 2023 legislative sessions, states such as Montana, Indiana, Arkansas, New York, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Florida, and West Virginia all enacted legislation favorable to charter schools.
So far, the most significant legislative advancement has been in Montana, Ziebarth writes:
Perhaps the biggest win this session comes from Big Sky Country, the great state of Montana, where it is now the 46th state with a charter school law. After a roller coaster ride of a session, the legislature passed two charter school bills, and Governor Greg Gianforte signed The Community Choice Schools Act (HB 562) into law on May 16, 2023.
We partnered with a coalition of organizations and individuals in Montana to get HB 562 passed by the legislature. This bill creates a new statewide charter school authorizing entity and provides charter schools with the flexibility to innovate while holding them accountable for results.
Lawmakers in a number of states, including North Carolina, are still considering major charter school bills. During the Spring 2023 legislative session in our state, the Coalition has been advocating intensively for charter interests, with a special focus on HB 219, Charter School Omnibus, and HB 618, Charter School Review Board. Learn more about these important bills in this Coalition blog post.
