Texas charter schools get historic win as facility funding bill clears Senate

AUSTIN — Charter schools got their first major win of this year's legislative session Thursday as the Senate approved funding for their facilities for the first time.

"This is a historic win for us," said Christine Isett, spokeswoman for the Texas Charter Schools Association. "This is the first time we've had any bill make it out of the Senate."

The bill, which passed 20-10, would allow charter schools to access state dollars for facilities, which they haven't been able to do since they opened in the state in 1995.

Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, the bill's author and a charter school parent, said the legislation will help the charters that have proved their academic success eliminate waiting lists by expanding facilities.

Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, amended the bill to increase funding overall, bumping the money available to traditional public schools, too.

He capped the additional funds at $100 million to be split between the charters and school districts over two years, significantly lower than the nearly $410 million Campbell's original bill would have set aside just for charters.

Watson, one of three Democrats to support the bill, said lawmakers need to look at education funding as a whole for both charters and public schools and "not try to continue the debate where we have winner-take-all with winners and losers on both sides."

Democrats largely opposed the bill, with three Republicans also voting against it. Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, was present but did not vote on the bill.

Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, took issue with offering charters the money, saying there's no assurances that Texas will get its investment back should an operator suddenly close. He added that many public schools — particularly in areas of fast growth — haven't seen additional money for their needs.

"We haven't fully funded our neighborhood schools," he said.

Campbell pointed to the steady growth of charter schools, which the association estimates have 141,000 children on waiting lists.

"What can't be denied is that there is demand out there," Campbell said. "And while we have fast-growing schools, we also have a fast-growing wait list for charter schools."

The vote came just a day after hundreds of charter school advocates rallied at the Capitol for funding and expanded resources from the state.

About 33,000 students who live within Dallas school district boundaries attend a charter school. The schools are public campuses that don't have to follow many of the traditional requirements. For example, they're allowed to have flexibility with teacher certification rules.

Many traditional public school advocates have fought the expansion of charters, saying it drains districts of the best students and most-involved parents. They say the larger financial strain charters place on the state, the less funding is available to all public schools.