The Tennessee Legislature has passed a bill that revamps state charter school law by requiring the publicly funded but privately run schools to be evaluated based on their performance.
Sen. Brian Kelsey, a Republican from Germantown and one of the bill's sponsors, said it would prevent fly-by-night charter school operators from setting up in Tennessee.
The bill, which was pushed by the administration of Gov. Bill Haslam, is a compromise between charter schools and traditional public schools.
Kelsey said the charters got $6 million in funding to help them acquire school buildings or pay for repairs at their facilities. The school districts, in turn, get a portion of the education funds that go to the charters to help pay for administrative costs, such as hiring extra staff to evaluate charter school applications.
