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Mississippi charter authorizer urges cautious expansion, clearer rules for CMOs and stronger accountability
Summary
The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board urged lawmakers to permit targeted charter expansion with firm guardrails, clearer definitions for charter management organizations and stronger performance and financial oversight to protect students and public funds.
Lisa Karmacharya, executive director of the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board, told the Senate Education Committee the authorizer wants to "authorize high quality charter schools, particularly those ... designed to serve underserved students" while guarding against rapid, low-quality growth. "The application is rigorous as it should be," she told senators, describing a multi-stage review process that begins with letters of intent and proceeds through threshold and independent reviews and a capacity interview.
Karmacharya said Mississippi currently has 10 operating charter schools in five districts and has expanded from under 500 to more than 4,200 students. She said the state's 2013 charter law intentionally…
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