By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
LANSING, MI –
A proposal to get rid of the limit on the number of university-sponsored K-12 charter schools in the state is on its way to Governor Rick Snyder's desk. The state Senate gave final approval to the measure Thursday at the state Capitol. Democratic lawmakers say it will hurt traditional public schools.
Republican state Senator Phil Pavlov says the final version of the bill should be more acceptable to everyone.
"There were some additional transparency measures included in this legislation, as well as a gradual lifting of the authorizers on the public school academies," he says.
The bill would allow unlimited university-sponsored charters in the state by the year 2015. And it would require charters to report back to their authorizers on whether the new schools are meeting their academic goals. The bill does not require the charters to meet exceptional performance standards.