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House approves second-substitute SB178 to change charter-school approvals and operations
Summary
The Utah House on March 1 passed a revised Senate measure (second substitute SB178) that removes a numerical cap on state-level charter approvals, adjusts application-review language and leaves several operational provisions intact after amendment votes and debate over State Board authority.
The Utah House passed second-substitute Senate Bill 178 on March 1 after hours of debate over how much discretion the State Board of Education should retain in approving charter schools.
Representative Brett Farrin, sponsor of the measure, told the House the second substitute is an annual "charter school clean up" bill and said its most notable change removes the cap on the number of charter school applications the State Charter School Board may approve. Farrin said the cap—currently set at 40 applications—distorts the review process and prevents the board from approving strong applications as they arrive. "We have a cap in place on the number of charter applicants that the state charter school board can approve," Farrin said, noting 18 schools then operated under state charters and that the cap prevented incremental approvals.
The bill drew multiple…
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