Politics & Government
House Passes Bill Requiring Virtual Charter School Transparency
In the wake of an ongoing multi-state investigation into an Oklahoma charter network the House unanimously passes a transparency bill.
OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill to require the same level of transparency from virtual charter schools as other public schools was passed unanimously by the Oklahoma House of Representatives today.
House Bill 1395 amends language in the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act of 2012 to hold virtual charter schools subject to the same financial reporting requirements and audits as traditional school districts. The legislation is authored by Rep. Sheila Dills, (R-69, Tulsa), a member of the House Common Education Committee.
Dills said the legislation was brought about by the growing call to address the inconsistency in transparency between virtual charter schools and other public schools.
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“This bill essentially holds virtual charter schools to the same reporting and accountability standards as public schools,” Dills said. “We need to have the same transparency requirements of all schools receiving taxpayer dollars, regardless of what type of school they are.”
HB1395 also outlines requirements for governing bodies of virtual charter schools by adding continuing education and a conflict of interest clause. These are the same conditions for traditional public school board members.
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“All virtual charter schools in Oklahoma have for-profit management companies that handle the administration of their schools,” Dills said. “Right now we don’t have real clarity of the expenditures of that managing company, which is one of the areas of transparency this bill focuses on.”
During the bill’s consideration Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols, (R-90, Oklahoma City), noted the Legislature has been trying to address this issue for several years.
“I hope this body understands what a big deal this bill is,” Echols said, “We’ve been able to do something we’ve been trying to get done for a long time.”
HB1395 passed Wednesday with a unanimous 95-0 vote. At the time of division 46 Representatives had signed on as co-authors. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration where its progress will be overseen by Senator Dewayne Pemberton, (R-9, Muskogee), the principal Senate co-author.