A bill scheduled to be heard by the Senate education committee Tuesday would require new charter schools in Missouri to obtain a “certificate of need” from the state board of education before opening.
Missouri Senate Bill 177 is sponsored by Clay County Democrat Maggie Nurrenbern, who lists education as a top priority on her website, citing her experience as a teacher and “champion for public education.”
The proposed certificate would need to confirm, among other factors, that the district of the new charter has sufficient demand for alternative education options and the ability to sustain an additional school. Applicants would also need to demonstrate that the new school would be likely to alleviate educational inequities in the district, reduce student-teacher ratios and otherwise provide a more effective schooling experience for children and their families.
The current application for new charter schools does include “documentation of community or family demand for the proposed school,” as well as a description of how the school plans to work with partners in the community.
Shawn Williams is the Deputy Director of Community Engagement at the Missouri Charter Public School Commission, a state regulatory body. He reviews all applications for new charters in the state, and he said he works directly with applicants to determine whether the proposed school will benefit their community.
“Most of the time, before schools even reach that point, we’ve already done our due diligence to make sure that the need is actually there to begin with,” Williams said. “So I’m not sure if this will have an impact at all.”
The commission, along with some higher education institutions and local school boards, has the authority to behave as “sponsors” to public charters in Missouri. These sponsors are responsible for providing oversight and to schools once they’ve been approved to open by the State Board of Education and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Williams said the commission works closely with charter school advocacy organizations, including the Missouri Charter Public School Association. Edie Barnard, their Director of Development and Communications, said the association also works with charter school applicants to provide “resources and technical support to get the idea off the ground.”
She agreed that it’s hard to tell what the proposed senate bill would change.
“In the application process, the sponsor generally requires that you show there is community need,” Barnard said. “That’s already happening. No one goes to a charter school that doesn’t want to be there, so that is the need. Having another layer of having to get a certificate of need, that feels redundant.”
Senator Nurrenbern was contacted, but was unable to comment within the time frame of this story. Representatives from DESE declined to comment on pending legislation, citing department policy.