Committee advances bill to authorize "alternative high-risk population" charter schools

A Senate committee voted to report Senate Bill 89 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass and referred the bill first to the Finance Committee.

The bill would authorize and fund a new type of public charter school described in the text as an "alternative high risk population public charter school." Under the bill, a school would be eligible only if at least 70% of its total enrollment upon first entry consists of students who qualify as "high risk," and the charter authorizer certifies that the school meets that threshold. The bill also directs the State Board of Education to adopt rules establishing funding requirements for the new school type.

Why it matters: supporters said the schools would offer an option for students removed from traditional classrooms for behavior or credit deficiencies and allow parents to enroll a child into a specialized charter program; critics raised concerns about how the bill defines "high risk," particularly…