The Senate officially requested that Gov. Jennifer Granholm return a bill sent to her last week that would allow the Thompson-McCully Foundation to spend $200 million to build 15 charter high schools in Detroit.

Executive director of Charter Schools Office James Goenner said passage of the bill could have serious implications for CMU.

“Specifically, CMU is the largest university authorizer of charter schools in Michigan and the nation,” Goenner said. “CMU has had a significant leadership role in advancement of charter public schools in Michigan.”

CMU was the first Michigan university to issue a charter in 1994 and licenses 56 charters throughout the state, which serve 25,000 students in 37 cities.

“For the last five years, state universities have been at the legislative cap of 150 that can be chartered, and what this bill would do is gradually raise that cap 150 schools over the next 10 years,” he said.

Goenner said if the bill is passed, CMU would be able to open up an application process for groups interested in starting a charter public school and possibly offer contracts to operate.

The earliest that new charter schools could operate would be in fall 2004, but fall 2005 is more likely, he said.

“It takes a considerable amount of time and effort to screen applications, to issue charter contracts and to have the schools prepared to start up and serve children,” Goenner said. “The university’s focus is on quality schools, not quantity.”

Senators plan to put the details of a deal reached between Republican legislative leaders and the governor into the bill before it will be considered by a House-Senate conference this week.

Part of the agreement will allow 125 of the 150 charter schools to be opened by universities.

It would allow 13 new schools per year for the first five years and 12 per year for the following five.

“We are working very diligently on the agreement that was agreed to earlier this week,” said Liz Boyd, press secretary for Granholm. “Until that plan is finalized, I think we reserve comment.”

Karen Adams, College of Education and Human Services dean, said she has been pleased with the quality standards set by the charter schools office. She said the office has done an excellent job providing professional development for teachers and administrators, while meeting requirements for “no child left behind” legislation.

“I would like to see the legislation allow Jim to offer more charter schools if there is interest in the areas in which he's working,” she said. “We authorize more charter schools than any other university in the state and Jim Goenner assures they are holding the standards. I think he really does run a very tight ship.”

Goenner said the office is waiting to hear the outcome before it makes any conclusions pertaining to the bill.

The office is generally supportive of the bill, but is concerned with a proposal that sets a limit of two schools per public district, which he said would not be balanced.

“A district like Detroit, with 160,000 students, is different from a district in the U.P. with only 50 students,” he said. “That’s one of the fundamentals of charter schools — the greater need is in the urban area where there are more parents looking for options.”

What is most significant about the bill, Goenner said, is an agreement between the governor and the legislature for more public school options in the state.

“The governor has exercised public choice options for her own children and I think she wants to see that in all of Michigan,” he said.

Goenner said the bill could be passed as early as this week.

“The university has been monitoring the legislative process very closely,” he said. “If the bill is passed, it will allow CMU to continue its leadership and enhance its gold standard reputation for charter schools.”