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House substitutes Senate Bill 57 to raise charter cap, require background checks
Summary
The House moved to substitute Senate Bill 57 with a first substitute that raises the State Board's limit on sponsored charter schools from 16 to 24 (with further annual increases), requires criminal background checks for charter employees, and clarifies independent charter boards when districts charter schools.
SALT LAKE CITY — The House substituted Senate Bill 57 with a first substitute version and considered an amendment that changes several charter-school rules, including caps and staffing checks.
Representative Farren, who moved the substitution and summarized the amendment, said the most substantive changes include increasing the number of charter schools the State Board of Education may sponsor from 16 to 24 and adding charter employees to the state's criminal background check requirements. "This will increase the limit from a current limit of 16 to 24," the sponsor said, and the substitute allows the limit to grow by eight per year thereafter.
The substitute also clarifies that when a local school district charters a charter school, the school will have a board separate and independent from the local district. The sponsor and supporters framed the changes as technical cleanup with substantive policy adjustments to expand charter capacity and add employee screening.
Debate and context Members asked how many charter schools currently operate and whether a higher cap was necessary. The sponsor said there were about 11 or 12 at the time and did not have an exact count of pending applications. Representative Holdaway and others said charter schools are one tool for school choice but cautioned the Legislature should not treat charters as a substitute for increased funding for public schools. "Charter schools are a piece of the puzzle, but they are not going to be the answer totally," one member said.
Conflict disclosure Representative Wynne declared a conflict of interest and asked that it be recorded because she serves on the board of a charter school; the clerk noted the conflict.
Next steps The House opened the vote on the first substitute of SB 57 during the session recorded here; the transcript records debate and the substitution motion but does not include a final roll-call tally in the provided segment.
