It's time for restraint," said Jim Chadwell, superintendent of Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District. "This is not the time to move forward with the approval of eight more charter schools. And charter critics have pointed to the state's largest charter district, IDEA Public Schools, spending $2 million on a luxury jet - culminating in the resignation of its CEO Tom Torkelson - as proof that the privately managed schools need more state oversight. Unlike traditional schools, charter schools cannot levy local taxes, and they receive all their funding from the state - bolstering cries that Texas cannot afford to spend even more money on them, as the pandemic rocks the economy. "When crises like the COVID-19 pandemic hit us, we don't want to be left behind again," said Aaron Brenner, superintendent of Brillante Academy, a proposed pre-K through eighth grade dual language school in McAllen. and maybe you're coming back 365 days from now and maybe getting it approved," said Lawrence Allen, a Houston Democrat, before voting to veto Heritage Classical Academy, which proposed opening in his district.ĬOVID-19 underscored the debate, from charter operators' arguments on why their schools would be good for the children in target neighborhoods to school district superintendents' pleas that the state reject all new applications. "A denial and a veto in most cases is a delay. The other five -Brillante Academy, Doral Academy of Texas, Learn4Life-Austin, Prelude Preparatory Charter School and Royal Public Schools - will be allowed to open schools next academic year, unless Morath or the board takes further action within the next 90 days. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath recommended the eight charter operators at the end of an in-depth process, including mandatory public meetings in target communities and interviews with state officials. The board's actions are just the latest in a longstanding political debate in Texas over the growth of charter schools, funded by the state but managed privately by nonprofits. Heritage Classical Academy, CLEAR Public Charter School and Rocketship Public Schools will not be able to open schools in Texas, after traditional public school leaders and advocates argued the state could not afford to fund new charters during a destabilizing pandemic. They voted to take no action on the other five, effectively approving them. The Texas State Board of Education Friday vetoed three out of eight new charter school operators seeking to open schools across the state. Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
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