The Alabama Public Charter School Commission approved a new Dothan charter school and a proposed Tuscaloosa County career technical school Monday (May 4), delayed two proposed Birmingham schools and rejected a separate Tuscaloosa appeal during a more than three-hour meeting dominated by one question: whether new and existing charter schools have enough students, money and planning in place to succeed.
Monday’s meeting was the first for two newly appointed commissioners: Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, who chairs the House Education Policy Committee, and former Alabama Republican Party chair Terry Lathan.
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Commissioners also considered several amendment requests from existing charter schools, approving some expansions but denying others when staff raised concerns about enrollment, facilities, financial sustainability and whether schools were following the terms of their charter contracts.
The meeting showed both the state’s continued appetite for charter school growth and a more cautious approach from commission staff, who repeatedly emphasized that opening too quickly or expanding without adequate enrollment and facility planning could put schools and students at risk.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Trisha Powell Crain and originally published by Alabama Daily News.
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