Mar 12, 2015 3 min read

As the charter school debate grows, Pennsylvania’s neighbor may soon enter the conversation.

In an 18-16 party-line vote, senators passed a bill last week that would eliminate West Virginia from the list of eight states that don’t allow charter schools.

The state House of Delegates, also with a Republican majority, will consider the bill before the legislative session ends March 14.

The bill would allow two new charter schools in the state for the first five years. Local school boards would have the final say over whether to open them in their counties. State education officials would start seeking proposals at the end of June 2016.

West Virginia is following the trend from across the country with concerns over public school funding and the quality of education children receive at those schools. It is a system that has thrived in some states, but if recent news indicates, charter schools do not always work.

The Hilda Goodling Impact Academy in York is debating whether it close its doors because of financial trouble. As a result, its boys basketball team was forced to withdraw from the PIAA Class A playoffs. According to the York Dispatch, Impact Academy is some $150,000 short of the cash needed to finish the 2014-15 academic year.

Prime Prep Academy, a grouping of charter schools near Dallas, Texas that were co-founded in 2012 by former NFL and MLB star Deion Sanders, decided to close its doors in late January after the Texas Education Agency found inconsistencies with the National School Lunch Program and fiscal mismanagement.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the school has been plagued by poor test scores, frequent lawsuits, an eviction and repeated claims of criminal wrongdoing for the past three years.

The WVSSAC, West Virginia’s High School athletics governing body, is about to deal with a large debate surrounding the institutions soon. Charter Schools have grown in popularity throughout Pennsylvania and many have been accused of recruiting the top athletic talent in surrounding areas.

High school students can choose to attend a charter school and can be bused long distances with their local tax payers footing the bill. Many public school coaches are asking the PIAA to separate charter and private schools to create a level playing field.

When interviewing WPIAL co-executive director Tim O’Malley about a potential move to six classifications in PIAA football, he told me the competitive imbalance created by charter and private schools is the greater issue.

There has not been any recent concrete evidence of charter schools recruiting or any other issues regarding their athletic programs, but the critics’ views are intriguing.

Charter schools do have their benefits. The curriculum can be specialized and they typically have smaller class sizes for more individual instruction.

On the other hand, charter schools are often mismanaged with little oversight.

It will be interesting to see if the bill passes and charter schools can open their doors in West Virginia. If it happens, look for athletics to become a hot button issue.

The talk definitely won’t seize in Pennsylvania anytime soon.