Bill would give charters equal access to vacant schools

Without dissent, the Education Committee approved legislation mandating that if school districts are selling off or leasing no-longer-needed buildings, they cannot refuse to make them available to charter schools that may be competing for the same students.

SB 1074 now goes to the full Senate.

The legislation came over the objections of Pima County School Superintendent Linda Arzoumanian, who told the panel in written comments that the question of who has access to the unused buildings should be left to local school boards.

But Sen. Kelli Ward, R-Lake Havasu City, who offered the legislation, said she doesn’t see it that way.

“We want the school districts to get the best price that they can,” she said.

Ward’s bill stops short of a proposal by Gov. Doug Ducey to force schools to make not only unused buildings, but also empty classrooms in existing schools, available to charter schools.

But Ducey has yet to explain exactly how that would work, with questions ranging from whether there would be any compensation to the school districts to responsibility for utilities and liability insurance. The governor said those details are still being worked out.

In both cases, though, the issue surrounds efforts by charter schools to get more students.

In Arizona, charter schools are part of the public school system. They can be run by anyone, including for-profit corporations, with operators getting a set amount of state funds for each student enrolled.

They are not permitted to impose additional charges on parents. And in general, charter schools, unlike private and parochial schools, are not permitted to pick and choose among students.

Ducey, a proponent of “school choice,” has argued more students would go to charter schools if they had the space. That’s why he wants to force public schools to make their classrooms available.