Delaware Senate Resolution Calls for Moratorium on New Public Charter Schools

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/06/05/112716dexgrcharterschools_ap.html

A Senate resolution introduced on June 4 calls for a moratorium on new public charter school applications in Delaware during the 2008-09 school year. Senator Patricia Blevins, chief sponsor of the resolution, says the state Department of Education requested the legislation to allow it to give charter school supporters and the state teachers union an opportunity to discuss issues such as accountability and financing of public charter schools. "Nobody's picking on them," said Blevins, adding that she is willing to keep the bill tabled if officials with the Delaware Charter Schools Network offer any strong objection. According to the resolution, a hiring freeze prompted by state budget problems could affect the ability of state and local school administrators to adequately review new public charter school applications. The resolution also notes that Delaware will have a new governor in January, with new leadership in the Department of Education. "This would kind of clear the decks and make sure that future charter schools get chartered under whatever new rules we come up with," Blevins said. Republican Senate Minority Leader Charlie Copeland called the moratorium an attack on public charter schools by a bloated education bureaucracy. Copeland says he believes the success of public charter schools has made them a target for criticism because they are making traditional public schools look bad. There are 17 public charter schools operating in Delaware, 14 chartered by the state and three by the Red Clay school district. Two more have been authorized to open in the fall.

Source: Education Week (subscription required)
Date: 06/05/2008
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