Charter Schools in South Dakota
Air Date:01/15/2010
By: Eryn Clement
The legislative session is in full swing as lawmakers pace the halls in the state capital. Several bills are being proposed and one education bill that's getting attention deals with charter schools.
An education bill proposes to create charter schools across the state. The bill acknowledges federal funding available for charter schools in each state. Some lawmakers believe Native American schools could qualify as a charter school and receive federal money. Every school district has the opportunity to create charter schools and School Board members would have the final say. Senator Cooper Garnos is the Chair of the Senate Education Committee. He says charter schools in South Dakota may be beneficial.
“I think there are some areas in South Dakota that could benefit from that in terms of long term progression, test scores and making our education system better. So there may be an opportunity in some areas for that. So it will be an interesting discussion to say the least,” says Garnos.
A prerequisite of having a charter school, is a facility can be renovated to make the school but a new facility cannot be built.
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