As expected, charter school legislation has been filed for the January 2017 session, and

Kentucky is one of only eight states without charter schools.

there is every expectation some type of charter law will be implemented.

The first bill, and not likely to be the last one, was prefiled by  Senator Gerald Neal, D-Louisville. Under his proposal for a pilot program, the local school boards in Fayette and Jefferson counties would be able to approve two charter schools each year. To read more specifics, check out the Lexington Herald-Leader’s article here.

In preparation for the session, the Kentucky Board of Education has put together a list of guiding principles to guide lawmakers as they craft the new law. The principles emphasize schools run by nonprofits that are not religious in nature and whose funding does not come at the detriment of public schools. Click here to read more and see a complete list of the guidelines.

Since charter schools will soon be a reality for Fayette County, our organization will maintain a focus on advocating for strong charter school oversight and regulations and maintaining high levels of funding for true public school systems.