Senate filibusters charter school bill for hours

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Senate spent about 11 hours debating and discussing legislation expanding access to charter schools Tuesday before eventually laying the bill over.

SB 292 — from Republican state Sen. Bill Eigel — would allow charter schools to open and operate in districts within a charter county or in a city with a population greater than 30,000. In most cases, the charter’s sponsor would also need signatures from parents of qualified students equal to at least 50 percent of the number of seats the charter will start with, according to the bill.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed concerns with the legislation Tuesday with discussions lasting until early Wednesday morning. Sens. Gary Romine and Doug Libla, both Republicans, pointed to the number of charter schools that have closed throughout the state and how much public money was lost on them.

“The facts spell out charter schools aren’t a panacea of education,” Libla, who spent significant time filibustering Tuesday, said.

Read more: https://themissouritimes.com/58961/senate-filibusters-charter-school-bill-for-hours/