The great orator Henry Ward Beecher, brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, once summed up the legislative process in this way: “It usually takes a hundred years to make a law, and then, after it has done its work, it usually takes a hundred years to get rid of it.” While this statement, made in 1887, may seem less relevant to modern-day lawmaking than it was to nineteenth-century politics, it nevertheless captures the complex and layered efforts involved in crafting, and overturning, laws.
One need not look further than the North Carolina General Assembly to observe the massive legislative machinery at work. Each bill proceeds through a maze of committees and votes before it is ratified and signed by the Governor. In this session alone, more than 2,000 bills have been introduced: 1,118 bills in the House and 1,166 bills in the Senate. Expect that total to increase, as still more time remains before the May 4th deadline for introducing bills.
Among this profusion of bills are several key pieces of legislation with the potential to greatly advance the charter school movement. Senate Bill 213, entitled Remove Cap on Number of Charter Schools, would eradicate the legislative cap of 100 schools in North Carolina.
Senate Bill 490, the Charter Schools Managed Growth Act, proposes to add 10 charters a year, beginning next year, to the established cap of 100 schools. Since 1996, the year the initial charter school legislation passed, this cap has been stagnant. At this point, any movement allowing more schools would be welcome.
These bills are significant for two reasons. First, without legislative change, charter school growth is effectively blocked. Ninety-eight charter schools already exist, just two shy of the cap; further expansion obviously hinges upon raising or removing the cap. Many North Carolina counties are completely shut out from the benefits of charter schools, as over 50 counties do not have even one charter school.
Second, unless the path is cleared for new charters, the state will lose valuable federal education dollars. During the past three years, North Carolina received over $18.6 million from the Department of Education for charter schools. If legislation increasing the cap fails, we will lose $6.2 million in funding. In a year with a project budget deficit of $1.1 billion, allowing this money to slip through our fingers is illogical and ill-conceived.
A third charter school bill could enhance the feasibility of charter school facilities construction. Senate Bill 212, entitled Counties May Provide Funds to Charter Schools, would allow county commissioners to assist charter schools with facility funding. Currently, it is illegal for counties to give any facility money to charter schools, even though charter schools help relieve crowded conditions in high-growth counties and save taxpayers millions of dollars. And this bill does not mandate county assistance; rather, it simply opens the door for counties to step in.
All three of these bills have been referred to the Senate Education/Higher Education Committee.
From there, they will need to be voted out of committee before reaching the Senate floor. Only then will they go on to the House.
While the legislative process is clearly labor-intensive and time-consuming, it has enormous ramifications for the way we live, and for the educational opportunities offered to our children. Please consider contacting committee members, as well as your House and Senate representatives, to inform them of your views. Your voice, and your vote, matter.
For more information on North Carolina’s charter school movement, see the Alliance’s policy report and parent’s guide.
To learn more about proposed legislation, as well as the latest education news, visit the Alliance online at www.nceduationalliance.org. Check out the “Headlines” section of our home page, updated daily with articles from every major newspaper in the state. At the Alliance, we are committed to keeping you informed and empowered as we join together to improve education for the children of North Carolina.