A proposed law that would allow the Minneapolis Public Schools, and other districts, to boost enrollment by partnering with charter schools could get a look in the next legislative session.
At least four DFL lawmakers support the "Collaborative Charter School" law, which would allow the district to partner with charter schools or charter school organizers, Minneapolis schools lobbyist Jim Grathwol recently told school board members.
"It is the direction of school reform nationally," said Brian Sweeney, director of external affairs for Charter School Partners, a Minnesota-based organization that lends support to charter school startups.
Charter schools in Minneapolis and elsewhere operate independently, siphoning students and money the districts would prefer to keep.
Under the legislation charter school students would count in a school district's enrollment and academic achievement reporting. In Minneapolis, students would receive a Minneapolis Public Schools diploma.
The change could bring thousands more students to Minneapolis, the state's third largest district. More than 10,500 students attend 35 charter schools in Minneapolis, said Eugene Piccolo, executive director of the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools.
The district already authorizes two charter schools, Friendship Academy of Fine Arts and the Minnesota School of Science, with the potential for another, Minneapolis College Preparatory, to open next fall.
The participating charter schools would receive student funding directly from the state Department of Education, retain control over teaching methods and still employ and dismiss their own employees.
