The charter school bill pushed by state Sen. Michael Watson, R-Pascagoula, passed through the Senate last week and is bound to the House for consideration.
The bill is an attempt to strengthen Mississippi's anemic charter school law, which expires in July.
"Public charter schools are accountable, innovative and encourage community and parent involvement," Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant said. "They also stimulate improvement by creating competition in failing school districts. Our kids deserve better opportunities to learn, and public charter schools can help bridge that learning gap."
While many states have experimented with charter school programs, Mississippi has largely resisted. There is only one charter school in the state in Merigold largely because the current law makes it difficult to create them.
Watson's bill features two types of charter schools. A conversion charter is a public school that the state Board of Education allows to convert. An open enrollment public charter is a public school operating under either the state Board of Education or a local school board that may attract students across school district borders.
"This offers parents a choice about public education," Watson said.
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