John White Opts to Defer Charter Authorizer Approval…?
The Charter School Approval Flea Flicker
In March 2012, the Louisiana legislature passed Act 2, which includes language allowing for the authorization of “local charter authorizers” (LCAs)– organizations that are able to authorize charter schools in Louisiana and that are able to bypass local school boards in doing so. The charters authorized by LCAs are called Type 1B charters.
A November 2015 Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) board document includes the following summary of Type 1B charters:
Act 2 of the 2012 Legislative Session provided BESE the authority to certify eligible organizations (post-secondary institutions, state agencies, or a nonprofit corporation with an educational mission or established by the governing authority of a parish or municipality) to serve as a Local Charter Authorizer (LCA). LCAs possess the authority to authorize charter schools similar to BESE and local districts.LCAs are uniquely positioned in Louisiana to leverage their local knowledge, expertise, and support to authorize and oversee new high-quality charter schools that can create new educational options for students within their communities. Charter schools authorized by LCAs are known as Type 1B charter schools. Type 1B charter schools act as a local education agency…. …Each LCA is certified to authorize charter schools within at least one Regional Labor Market Area, as defined by the Louisiana Workforce Commission. At any time, no more than five LCAs may be certified to operate in a specific Regional Labor Market Area.
(Note: The term “high quality charter school” is used nationwide by those desiring to proliferate charter schools. It is more of a marketing slogan than an empirically-justified reality.)
On December 02 and 03, 2015, the La. BESE board had on its agenda what appeared to be a fast-tracking LCA approval for Southern University and New Schools for Baton Rouge, with the goal of approving these LCAs in the final BESE meeting before John White Opts to Defer Charter Authorizer Approval…? | deutsch29: