Ky. governor to sign bill that allows schools to compete for $200 million in federal funds

Charter school plan is axed, Ky. ed bill passes

FRANKFORT, Ky. — State lawmakers axed a charter schools proposal from fast-tracked legislation intended to strengthen Kentucky’s application for a massive infusion of federal school improvement money.

The move Wednesday paved the way to pass the first bill of the 2010 legislative session. Gov. Steve Beshear said through a spokeswoman that he intends to sign the measure into law.

“This bill had the support of every single school district in our state, and I thank the General Assembly for passing the bill,” Beshear said. “The legislature’s prompt work and bipartisan support shows that when we cooperate, Kentucky moves ahead.”

The legislation had been jeopardized by a proposed amendment to allow charter schools to operate in Kentucky. While receiving public funding, charter schools would be exempt from many of the regulations that apply to other public schools.

Kentucky’s two most powerful teacher groups opposed the amendment, as did many of the state’s school superintendents.

A divided Senate Education Committee couldn’t agree on the amendment, effectively killing it. The full Senate voted 38-0 to pass the legislation, minus the amendment, Wednesday afternoon and sent it back to the House with minor modifications. The House approved the changes.

The measure would allow several options for improving Kentucky’s low-performing schools, including the removal or reassignments of administrators and teachers.

Lawmakers have been rushing to get the legislation through the House and Senate and signed by Gov. Steve Beshear this week so that the state can meet a Jan. 19 deadline to apply for up to $200 million in federal school improvement money over four years.

The money, part of last year’s federal stimulus package, is intended to improve low-performing schools. States across the country are competing for it. Recipients will be chosen on the strength of their applications, and some Republican lawmakers said they believed Kentucky would have improved its chances by including a charter school provision.

However, state Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr, R-Lexington, broke ranks with the GOP in the education committee on Wednesday to derail the charter school amendment. She said she feared the amendment would have delayed getting the legislation signed into law.

Tapping into the money is especially important to Kentucky because of budget shortfalls that could trigger spending cuts in the upcoming two-year budget cycle.

State Education Commissioner Terry Holliday said Kentucky’s legislation, as approved by lawmakers on Wednesday, has the full support of school superintendents and teacher organizations. That, he said, strengthens Kentucky’s chances of getting the federal money.

Had lawmakers included charter schools in the legislation, Holliday said the support would have waned.

“I do know we would have lost a number of superintendents and all of our support from teachers organizations,” he said.

Kentucky Education Association President Sharron Oxendine said her organization, which represents 32,000 teachers, objected to the charter school proposal, as did the Jefferson County Teachers Association.