The state's Department of Education revealed its new policythis week detailing how charter schools will be permitted in West Virginia to the public and the state’s Board of Education.
Charter school contracts will be negotiated by county boards of education and overseen by separate non-profit governing boards that include parents and community members.
Those and other details were revealed to the board of education this week. The board will give the public 60 days to comment on the proposal -- twice the normal allotted time.
The state legislature passed a sweeping education bill this summer. It included teacher pay raises and authorized up to three charters in the state until 2023, then three more every three years thereafter.
The West Virginia Education Association and the West Virginia chapter of the American Federation of Teachers have lambasted the bill for what they say shut out teachers’ voices and claim the bill violates the state Constitution.
