Bill to lift cap on university charter schools would have small effect on CMU

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More charter schools could open after a bill was approved by the Michigan Senate.

However, the bill which was approved on Oct. 6, would not dramatically increase the number of schools Central Michigan University opens, said Mary Kay Shields, interim executive director of the Center for Charter Schools at CMU.

The nine-bill package called the Parent Empowerment Education Reform Package would lift the cap on charter schools. After being approved by the Republican-led Senate, the legislation will have to pass the Republican-led House of Representatives and be signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder.

Shields said there will be “smart growth” in choosing schools, not just any growth.

“CMU has always had a rigorous and thoughtful process for considering charter schools,” she said. “It’s not going to open up a floodgate.”

Shields said CMU is the first and largest university charter school authorizer in Michigan, with the largest enrollment in the nation.

Charter school growth in Michigan would not affect the quality of education in each school, Shields said. She said CMU chooses charter schools thoughtfully, and only authorizes them when convinced the school will be the best.

“We have stood for and will continue to stand for quality,” she said.

Shields said in exchange for removing the cap, there are some additional red tape requirements for authorizers when they consider charter schools, but it is basically what CMU is already doing.

Community colleges, intermediate school districts and K-12 local education agencies are not limited in the number of charter schools they can sponsor, but public universities are legislatively capped at 150 schools statewide.

CMU has 58 authorized charter schools this year with enrollment of more than 30,000 students, said a spokesman for the Center for Charter Schools at CMU who asked not to be named. Last year, they had 55 charter schools with enrollment of 28,500 students.

The number of charter schools authorized by CMU would remain “about the same” if the bill package passes, Shields said.

The legislation would lift geographical as well as numerical limits on charter schools, widening the opportunities for new charter schools.

The spokesman said under the current law, high performing charter schools can convert to Michigan “Schools of Excellence,” allowing a new charter spot to open up. The new charter school must be placed in an area that has less than 75 percent graduation rate. The legislation would get rid of this requirement and allow charter schools to open in districts with graduation rates above 75 percent.

The bill package would also eliminate the requirement that districts have to abide by collective bargaining agreements.

The spokesman said most charters are not represented by a teachers union. In school districts, the charter school must go along with the teachers’ contract in the rest of the district.

The legislation would allow authorization of a charter without the teachers’ contract. Charter schools could then choose whether or not to use the teachers’ contract.