Among those testifying so far on HB 481, the bill to lift all of Idaho's caps on creation of new charter schools each year, was David Meyer, administrator of the Monticello Montessori Public Charter School in Bonneville County, who said his school lost $233,000 this year due to the state's loss of a federal grant. "That's been difficult for us," he said.

Karen Echeverria of the Idaho School Boards Association testified against the bill. Idaho's charter school law does need updating, she said. "We believe it's time for all stakeholders to begin discussions about what is working and what is not." Allowing an uncontrolled proliferation of new charters would destabilize funding for Idaho's existing schools and school districts, she said. "We believe that this legislation is premature, and would prefer to have time to work with stakeholders over the next year, and come back with comprehensive legislation. ... We support charter schools. I think we just need to be careful about how those are authorized and when those are authorized."

Luci Willits, chief of staff for state schools Supt. Tom Luna, spoke in favor of the bill, saying Idaho lost a federal grant for charter schools in part because its charter school laws was ranked unfavorably compared to other states.

Rob Winslow, executive director of the Idaho Association of School Administrators, said his association is less concerned with lifting the overall cap than with lifting the cap of one new charter school per school district per year. "School districts do not currently have financial protection" when they suffer a sudden drop in enrollment, he said. "Lifting this cap could potentially put a school district at financial risk if several charter schools open within a school district within one year. ... Until school districts have financial protection, our association will not be able to support HB 481."

---

---