The North Carolina House approved S254: Charter School Changes this week that shifts oversight of the state’s charter schools further away from the Superintendent of Public Instruction to the Charter School Review Board (CSRB)

S254 as originally filed was a bill about explosives; that language was stripped out and replaced with charter schools changes, many of which have been seen in both chamber budgets and H832: Education Omnibus (amended by the Senate).

The House wants to make charter school proposals to move their building within a 10-mile radius of their current address a “nonmaterial revision” – this would not require an application before the CSRB. The relocation of the charter school, expansion of the campus, or establishment of a satellite campus would not be required to be within the same school district as the location approved in the charter.

S254 also would grant the CSRB the power to propose, recommend, and approve rules and policies regarding all aspects of charter school operation. The Executive Director of the Office of Charter Schools would also report to the CSRB rather than the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The bill specifies that the amount to be allocated to each charter school equal to the average per pupil allocation for average daily membership is to be based on the location pursuant to the school’s charter. In addition, the bill outlines that the CSRB, instead of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, is also responsible for duties related to fiscal violations and transfer of the per pupil share of funds. Other proposed changes outlined in the bill can be found in the legislative staff summary here.

State Board of Education Chairman Eric Davis and Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green issued a press release on Wednesday outlining their objections to the proposed charter changes. They indicate that the “provisions in House Bill 832 and Senate Bill 254 unconstitutionally propose to transfer core responsibilities of oversight, accountability and rulemaking from constitutionally established authorities to a non-constitutional body—the Charter School Review Board (CSRB).” The full press release can be found here.

S254 now goes to the Senate for concurrence with the House changes.