Why we support H422: The Accelerating Charter Schools Act

/

 The Coalition of Idaho Charter School Families is a grassroots organization of parents, students, teachers and administrators advocating for expanding school choice, providing equal funding, and ensuring money follows the child to their school of choice.  We focus on maximizing choice for parents in the charter school space, including “brick and mortar” and virtual charter schools.

Accelerating Public Charter Schools Act, H.422

In 1998, the Legislature passed the Idaho Charter School law to allow charter schools to operate. Today in Idaho, charter schools serve 30,000 students with 11,000 more on waiting lists. The majority of charter schools in Idaho have been a great success.  While there have been several minor tweaks to charter school laws since 1998, nothing substantial has been introduced to incorporate what we have learned in the past 26 years.  

Charter school stakeholders including the Coalition of Idaho Charter School Families, the Governor's Office, Charter School Commission, BLUUM, Stride/K12, the Charter School Network, the Association of Charter School Leaders, ISBA, IEA, and the Idaho Board of Education have been instrumental in shaping a bill that truly represents the needs and aspirations of the charter school community.

The Coalition for Idaho Charter School Families supports H.422, the Accelerating Public Charter Schools Act, because the legislation:

  • Strengthens and promotes successful charter schools across Idaho

  • Encourages innovation in the classroom and new approaches to teaching

  • Cuts red tape and allows charter schools to focus on teaching kids

  • Gives parents more choices for their children

Key highlights of the bill include:

  • Introduction of new legislative intent language to support charter school development

  • Streamlining the authorization and reauthorization processes for charter schools

  • Establishing pilot charters for innovative models

  • Facilitating the replication of successful charter schools

  • Providing a 12-year renewal term for high-performing charter schools