By Gary Lloyd
MONTGOMERY — Gov. Robert Bentley has signed the School Choice and Student Opportunity Act, SB45, into law.
The bill was introduced in the Alabama State Senate by Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh, and was sponsored in the State House by Rep. Terri Collins.
The bill will allow the creation of public charter schools and conversion charter schools in Alabama, open to any student who wishes to attend. Charter school administrators will have authority over the school’s finances, staff, schedule and curriculum. The schools must meet strict performance and accountability standards.
Alabama Republican Party Chairwoman Terry Lathan applauded the “creative pathway” the legislature is willing to travel in the quest to “raise the educational bar in Alabama.”
“While there is no quick fix, the establishment of public charter schools in our state will allow our students, parents and teachers the opportunity to make a true difference in the education and future of Alabama,” Lathan said.
Locally, Trussville City Schools Superintendent Pattie Neill believes the new law won’t have an impact on Trussville City Schools.
“At first, there was language in the bill that would allow private schools to convert to public charter schools, which would mean that TCS would lose funding for any Trussville student who attends a private school that converted to a public charter,” Neill said. “The private school conversion language was removed, so I am comfortable with the bill as it is written.”
Neill said the law is designed to allow conversion public charter schools to have “total flexibility” to remove poor teachers and design their own curriculum. It’s also meant to give students in failing schools another option and a chance to transfer to a charter school outside their school system, she said.
“In Trussville, we are fortunate that we do not have problems that are inherent in other school systems, which created the impetus for the development, support and passage of this bill,” Neill said.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.