POLICY WATCH: STATE AND LOCAL

"A new law, and more funding, for education," News Observer [NC], 05/04/2003

Friday was a landmark day for education in North Carolina, one that state Superintendent Mike Ward said was the result of several months of intense work. North Carolina's accountability plan under the No Child Left Behind law was approved and put into effect.

The law is the education reform initiative championed by President Bush and supported by broad bipartisan majorities in Congress. It is based on four main principles: accountability for results; local control and flexibility; more options for parents; and an emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work.

As part of the law, every state must develop an accountability plan outlining a strategy and plan of action for how it will reach the goal of having every student achieve proficiency on state standards in math and reading by the 2013-14 school year. Building on the North Carolina system, student progress will be measured at regular intervals. Schools or districts that are found by the state to be in need of improvement will get extra help and parents will get new options. [...]

"Senate OKs online charter schools," The Austin American-Statesman [TX], 4/23/2003

The Senate voted Wednesday to allow public colleges and universities to establish online charter schools using taxpayer funds to provide computers to home-based students.

A similar proposal was killed in the House, dealing a blow to the main backer, Education Chairman Kent Grusendorf, R-Arlington.

Under Senate Bill 933 by Education Chairwoman Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, no more than 2,000 students could be enrolled in "virtual charter schools" in Texas and only two universities will receive state charters to operate schools.

University of North Texas officials have expressed interest in obtaining a charter.[...]

(CO)"Colorado legislature OKs school voucher program," Chicago Sun Times, 4/9/2003

Colorado will soon become the first state with public school vouchers since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling declared such programs constitutional. Republican Gov. Bill Owens is expected to sign a bill into law this month that will allow public schools to pay private or religious schools to educate low-income children. The bill was pushed through the Legislature after Republicans won control in November's elections, with supporters saying it will give poor students a better education and force public schools to improve.[...]

(CO) "Colorado to be first in school vouchers," Washington Times, 4/3/2003

Colorado is on its way to becoming the first state to enact a statewide school-voucher program since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last summer upholding vouchers in Cleveland. Texas and Louisiana may not be far behind.
The Colorado state Senate on Monday voted 36-28 to enact a House-passed bill to allow students in Denver and 11 other districts with eight or more schools rated "poorly" under state criteria to opt out of public schools. Those students can then use 75 percent to 85 percent of its public per-pupil funds, ranging from about $5,000 to $6,000, at private schools of their choice.
Next year, the bill would cap enrollment in voucher-funded schools at 1 percent of a district's students, but could rise to 6 percent by the fourth year.[...]

The measure would make Colorado the first state in the nation to give students public money to attend private schools since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld school vouchers last summer.

With the issue red-hot in education circles, national advocates Wednesday predicted the Colorado voucher bill would be challenged as far as the high court.

"I would say that a constitutional challenge to the Colorado measure is as inevitable as death and taxes," said Clint Bolick, the voucher advocate who argued the Supreme Court case.[...]