House Speaker Beth Harwell is pushing for a state-level charter school authorizer after the drawn out denial of Great Hearts Academies.

Charter schools have returned to the state legislature’s front burner. A proposed bill that is facing some bi-partisan resistance would allow the state to authorize new charters. Democrats are upset that the bill only applies to schools in Nashville and Memphis. And one Republican lawmaker – a former superintendent – says it violates the GOP’s belief in smaller government and local control.

The woman behind the curtain is Beth Harwell, the Speaker of the House who represents a fairly affluent part of Nashville. The bill doesn’t have her name on it, but she says the proposal is hers. It’s a direct response to the repeated denial of Great Hearts Academies based in Phoenix, which at one time had plans for five schools in Nashville.

Great Hearts was turned down by the Metro school board. But even after appealing to the state, the local board refused to reverse its decision. The case has become a poster child for a state authorizer, but charter school advocates have long complained that it’s an uphill battle when they’re being vetted by the local school board.

The elected school boards to have a bit of a conflict of interest. Education funding follows the child. So when charters open, they’re essentially taking money away from traditional schools, yet it doesn’t necessarily get cheaper to run those existing schools.

Democrats and even a Republican or two have brought up this point that the state is seizing local control, flying in the face of a GOP ideal that the best government is the one closest to the people. But Harwell says no.

Why Not Statewide?

“I believe we have a responsibility in this state for the most local person to have an option here, and the local person here is the parent,” she says. “And I have a lot of parents – not only in my district, but others – who wanted this option within our public school system.”

Harwell says her bill targets Nashville and Memphis because that’s where the most charter schools are, but Democrats say, “why not statewide.”

The reality is that a broader bill would have a much tougher time passing. Rural and even suburban school districts – primarily represented by Republicans – don’t want charters popping up in their backyard without local say-so either.

This month, the first charter school was formally proposed for Williamson County, a place with high performing schools. The superintendent there, Mike Looney, doesn’t want it, saying a charter would drain money from the schools he’s running now.

It’s not like authorizing a charter school is just a matter of taking a vote. There’s often an extensive vetting process. Then after a charter is approved, someone has to make sure it’s performing well and even shut down if it’s not.

“If you approve this, we will do everything we can to implement the law,” state board executive director Gary Nixon told lawmakers last week.

Asked if he feels good about the possibility of overseeing hundreds of charter schools, Nixon said, “I don’t.”