Proposed education reforms in Wisconsin would address significant obstacles standing in the way of a more effective charter public school sector, today said the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA). The national group urged lawmakers to adopt a final legislative package that goes even further to strengthen the quality of charter schools for Wisconsin’s children.

“Every child in Wisconsin deserves the opportunity to attend a high-quality public school,” said Greg Richmond, a Wisconsin native and president and CEO of NACSA. “This is at the heart of our One Million Lives campaign. We believe the legislature shares this vision and will do what it can to bring stronger reforms to the current system.”

In a memo delivered to the Senate Education Committee, NACSA said it supported Senate Bill 76 (Senate Substitute Amendment 1) because the bill would expand independent charter authorizing to the entire state and make other meaningful changes to facilitate the growth of quality charter public schools.

“NACSA applauds Senators Olsen and Darling for their leadership in sponsoring charter reform legislation,” Alex Medler, NACSA vice president of policy and advocacy, said in the support memo. “SB 76 … contains provisions designed to grow the most successful charter schools. NACSA supports these efforts in principle and looks forward to working with the author and the sponsors to refine this policy effort.”

“In addition to these positive elements in the current proposal, we strongly encourage the Committee to seize this opportunity to make broader reforms to Wisconsin’s charter school law,” Medler said. “An expansive reform bill would grow a high-quality charter sector, ensure all charter schools have the autonomy they need to innovate and succeed, and fulfill the promise of public accountability for authorizers and charter schools.”

NACSA encourages Wisconsin lawmakers to take their reform measures a step further by setting high standards for charter school approval, expansion, and renewal. It also recommends the legislature adopt measures to require regular reporting and evaluation of the state’s charter school authorizers.

Reforms such as those being considered by the Wisconsin legislature are the heart of NACSA’s One Million Lives campaign. This national effort is committed to providing better schools to one million children by opening more good charter schools and closing more failing charter schools.