A national charter school organization is praising Oklahoma for its strong charter school laws. The state is now ranked 10th nationally for charter school oversight, which is up from its previous ranking of 37th.
A report from the National Association of Charter School Authorizers shows Oklahoma improved its rankings dramatically by passing Senate Bill 782 last legislative session. The law made it much more difficult for charters to be approved. These schools will also have to meet certain performance standards to stay open.
Charter schools are independently run public schools that are granted more flexibility in their operations, in exchange for greater accountability. Legislation surrounding these schools often draws a lot of opposition from proponents of the public school system. They say charters take away they're best students, and some of their funding.
However, Senator Clark Jolley, who authored Senate Bill 782, said this bill drew support from many sides.
