Todd Ziebarth, Senior Vice President of State Advocacy and Support at The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, released the following statement:
“Today, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed into law HB 422, the Accelerating Public Charter Schools Act. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools celebrates the bill’s passage and applauds Idaho’s lawmakers for providing Idaho families and students with high-quality, public school options. In particular, we thank Representative Judy Boyle, Senator Lori Den Hartog, and Alex Adams of the Idaho Public Charter School Commission for their stewardship of HB 422.
“HB 422 streamlines Idaho’s charter school law with the goal of balancing charter school autonomy and accountability. Now, public charter schools in Idaho will have more flexibility to innovate while still being held accountable for results. In addition, HB 422 includes the following provisions:
- A charter school’s initial contract must be for six years, giving a new school sufficient time to prove its worth before it faces renewal.
- A high-performing charter school may have its contract renewed for up to 12 years, allowing the school to spend more time focused on educating students instead of completing bureaucratic paperwork requirements.
“While HB 422 represents forward progress for the charter school sector in Idaho, more work remains to be done to provide charter schools even more flexibility to innovate, especially as it relates to teacher policies, and more equitable funding and facilities support – all while holding the line on ensuring that charter schools deliver results for Idaho’s families and taxpayers. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Bluum, the Idaho Charter School Network, and Idaho policymakers to ensure families have access to high-quality public school options.”
