Senators weigh whether to extend bridge funding for Goodwill Excel charter; committee carries proviso

A subcommittee discussion on March 27 focused on funding language tied to the Goodwill Excel Center, a charter school that members said has experienced leadership turnover and previously lost the support of the state charter school district.

Grant told the committee the proviso’s amendments include updated funding amounts and referenced allocations to providers including the Goodwill Excel Center, the Pattison Academy and the Myers Center. Senator Bennett asked members for patience and said he would seek further conversations with House members and local senators who have worked with the school before committing to another appropriation: “This is the charter school that we have been bouncing around for at least 2 years now... they are requesting a bridge, if you will, to get to that point.”

Several members said they were reluctant to provide another state-directed appropriation to a charter school that had failed to sustain itself and urged that any bridge funds be accompanied by a clear plan for the school to become self-supporting. One member said direct appropriations to individual charter schools had been a poor model in the past and asked that any government earmarks be explicitly labeled rather than embedded within provisos.

The committee carried the proviso over to allow the senators and staff to obtain more information and reach consensus on what oversight or conditions would accompany any appropriation. Staff was asked to return with specific performance benchmarks, fiscal impacts and evidence that the school can become financially independent before the body considers a direct appropriation.