A bill that was recently signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds allows for the expansion of charter schools to be created.

District 24 Senator Jesse Green says charter schools can be created to provide educational opportunities that a current public school district doesn’t offer. He points out charter schools can either apply through an existing school board or through the Iowa Department of Education. Green tells Raccoon Valley Radio the per pupil funding that is tied to each student can then be used at the charter school if the student open enrolls to it.

“That’s the competition standpoint that I like about this program. It’s still going to be a public school. So public dollars are still going to stay in public schools that are governed by a school board. The teachers have to be licensed, and of course they have to go through their accreditation process through the Department of Education.”

Paton-Churdan Superintendent Kreg Lensch shares his thoughts on charter schools.

“There’s a lot of concerns because a charter school, if they’re not cutting it they can just close their doors, and there isn’t always a lot of oversight. Being in rural Iowa, I don’t think it’s a huge concern. It takes quite an investment. I think most people, in rural Iowa and in our communities in Greene County, they trust their school systems and they trust their school district to get it done.”    

As an advocate for school vouchers, Green says charter schools are the closest comparison to allowing school vouchers to give parents more educational choices.