Mississippi only has 10 charter schools. This bill would pave the way for more

The Mississippi Legislature is considering a bill to ease requirements for opening a charter school.

Proposed by Rep. Jansen Owen, R-Poplarville, HB 1683 would make three changes to the current public charter school approval process:

• Allow state colleges and universities to authorize charter applications, in addition to the Charter School Authorizer Board.  
• Permit charter schools to open in C, D or F-rated school districts without the local school board’s approval. Currently, only charters in D or F districts can sidestep board approval. 
• Enable charter schools designed to serve students with autism or an emotional or intellectual disability to open without school board approval, regardless of the district’s rating.  

State data from 2022-23 shows only 12 districts received a D or F rating, while 29 are ranked as C. In C districts, the average reading and math proficiency is just 29% and 30%, respectively.  

The Magnolia State first paved a way for charter schools in 2013, but only 10 schools have managed to get off the ground.  

“Why has progress [in Mississippi] been slow? It’s not because there isn’t interest from operators,” Empower Mississippi explained. “Each year, we see a dozen or so applicants express interest.  

“And it isn’t because of a lack of interest among parents. From the limited pool of charters, we see waiting lists and impressive year-over-year retention rates. In Jackson, where we have the largest share of charter schools, 20-25% of public school students who attend a grade offered by a charter school are enrolled in charter schools. And that number is growing.”  

According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Mississippi only had 226 charter students in 2015-16. 

Over six years, that number rose to 2,921. 

The number of charter schools nationwide is also rising steadily – from 3,000 two decades ago to nearly 8,000 in 2022.  

And recent research has found charter schools generally outperform their traditional public counterparts in academics, while spending fewer taxpayer dollars. 

So why doesn’t Mississippi have more charter schools? 

Some have assigned blame to the Charter School Authorizer Board, which Empower Mississippi says is “overly restrictive in denying the creation of new charter schools.”  

The board’s charter renewal process has also come under scrutiny for “lack[ing] clarity, objectivity and transparency.”  

One frustrated educator even said the board’s processes amounted to “injustice and incredibly poor public policy.”  

While HB 1683 wouldn’t reform the state board, it could provide educational entrepreneurs with multiple pathways to sidestep state and district boards in creating more opportunities for students.