House Bill 241 – Streamlining the Charter Petition Process in Idaho
March 6, 2017
Dear Chairwoman Van Orden,
As public charter school leaders, operators and advocates we are writing to you to express our support for House Bill 241.
House Bill 241 will streamline the petition process for opening a new charter school in the Gem State. We believe that Idaho’s public charter schools have become the most regulated public schools in the state and that the time is right to return some flexibility back to public charter school operators. A good place to start is in the lengthy new school start-up process.
The current process for starting a charter school in Idaho is daunting and can take up to two years to navigate. As Idaho grows and adds children to the K-12 pipeline the process for opening new charter schools has gotten harder. Idaho’s families want more choice and creating new schools is key to making this happen. We know in speaking to current and prospective school operators that the current process for opening a new charter school frustrates and discourages would-be founders whose only desire is to serve Idaho’s students in high-performing schools.
House Bill 241 strikes a balance between a common-sense streamlining of the start-up process while continuing to ensure prospective school operators are accountable for their performance. It removes much of the “heavy lifting” from the early part of the process (such as managing the process of being rejected by the local school districts before moving on to the state charter school commission). It places the focus on where it belongs—in the later stages, when the general plan has been approved on its merits and school planners can work out the specifics of day-to-day business practices, financial and facilities plans, community development and hiring, knowing that they are not wasting their efforts.
The process for opening a new charter school in Idaho can take up to two years. Per the Idaho State Department of Education’s website, “Charter schools give parents a choice to send their children to a school that uses innovative methods to provide a quality education.”
Some of Idaho’s highest performing public schools are charter schools, and as a result, there are somewhere between 6,500 and 11,000 students who want to attend a charter school but currently are on waitlists. Streamlining the charter petition process will help students and families find the choice that best fits their child’s learning style and interests.
We support, and encourage you and your colleagues on the House Education Committee to support, House Bill 241.
Sincerely,
Terry Ryan
Idaho Charter School Network
| Deby Infanger, Board Chair American Heritage Charter School – Idaho Falls North Valley Academy – Gooding |
Jason Bransford Gem Innovation Schools – Pocatello & Nampa Idaho Distance Education Academy – Statewide |
Jackie Collins Idaho Arts Charter School – Nampa |
| Bill Russell, Chairman of the Board North Star Charter School – Eagle |
Dan Nicklay Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy – Coeur d’Alene |
Stacey Walker Gem Prep – Nampa |
| Javier Castaneda Heritage Community Charter School – Caldwell |
Scott Thomson North Idaho STEM Charter Academy – Rathdrum |
Mike Adolf, Chairman of the Board Compass Public Charter School – Meridian |
| Shane Pratt Rolling Hills Public Charter School – Boise |
Gerald Love Gem Prep – Pocatello |
Joel F. Weaver Chief Tahgee Elementary Academy – Fort Hall |
| Kelly Trudeau Compass Public Charter School – Meridian |
Wendy Oldenkamp Vision Charter School – Caldwell |
Jeremy Clarke White Pine Charter School – Ammon |
| Joel Lovstedt Connor Academy Public Charter School – Chubbuck |
Michael Mendive Pocatello Community Charter School – Pocatello |
Mark Green Falcon Ridge Public Charter School – Kuna |
| Keith Donahue Sage International School – Boise |
Michelle Ball Alturas International Academy – Idaho Falls |
Fred Ball Blackfoot Community Charter School – Blackfoot Bingham Academy – Blackfoot |
| Heather Dennis Anser Charter School – Boise |
Brad Petersen, Current Charter Petitioner Future Public School – Boise |
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