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Revised Charter School Bill Sent to Governor's Desk

khanes athiratanakran
/
creative commons

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Gov. Larry Hogan's charter school expansion bill is heading back to his desk looking dramatically different.

On Monday the Republican governor's charter bill passed the General Assembly with amendments that give some additional flexibility to charter schools, but keeps much of the authority for applications and operations at the local board level.

Hogan initially tried to get more input for the state board of education on charter school operations. His expansion plan also waived certain teacher certifications and opened the possibility for new collective bargaining agreements.

But Senate and House committees made roughly a dozen amendments that largely reversed those proposals in Hogan's measure.

Maryland has about 50 charter schools today. The state adopted its charter school law in 2003.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.