Holliday's Full-court Press for Charters

This from Brad Hughes at KSBA:

KBE to legislature:
pass charter and budget bills,
raise attendance age

Decision on fate of charter bill
could come later today

At the request of Education Commissioner Terry Holliday, the Kentucky Board of Education voted Tuesday morning to send a “strong letter of support” to all legislators urging passage of a state budget, House Bill 109 (which includes charter school language) and House Bill 301 (raising the mandatory school attendance age to 18 by 2015).

The move comes as the General Assembly returns Wednesday for its final two days of the 2010 session, and as Holliday is shuttling back and forth between education groups and legislative leaders trying to get consideration of the charter school bill to boost Kentucky’s chances for millions in federal Race to the Top funding.

“I’m not an advocate for charter schools, you know that,” Holliday told the state board. “Nobody is a strong supporter for charter schools because we think would could do all of this (what is expected under Race to the Top school improvement mandates) without charters, but we couldn’t convince the U.S. Department of Education.

“I told KSBA the only way I would support charter schools is that if local boards were the authorizing agent. Under (HB 109), the only way charter schools could be created is by local boards,” he said.

Holliday said HB 109 has been amended after discussions with various education groups and will still be tweaked before – and if – its gets legislative consideration....