The Rhode Island State Senate overwhelmingly passed a three-year moratorium on the opening of new charter schools. The vote was 30-6, with only one Democrat in opposition. Under the leadership of Governor Gina Raimondo, who is about to become President Biden’s Commerce Secretary, the state has welcomed charter operators (Raimondo was a hedge fund executive before she became Governor).
This delay offers state officials time to stabilize public schools in Providence and elsewhere, where charters have flocked and removed students and funding.
Linda Borg of the Providence Journal reports:
Sen. Ryan Pearson has seen Cumberland, one of his districts, lose a significant number of traditional public school students to charter schools.
He argued that the latest charter expansion would have a CONTINUE READING: Rhode Island Senate Democrats Pass Three-Year Moratorium on New Charters | Diane Ravitch's blog