Rep. Beth Harwell is vowing to revive her bill to expand charter schools in Tennessee. After the House Education Committee adjourned without voting on the legislation this afternoon, the Green Hills Republican told reporters, "In my mind, it should not wait one more year. There are too many children who can benefit." Under the bill, which the House Democratic Caucus secretly voted this morning to oppose, nearly three-quarters of Nashville's students would become eligible to attend charter schools. Under present law, only failing students or students who attend failing schools are eligible, along with a limited number of at-risk kids in grades K-3. Mayor Karl Dean says the city's failing system could use a couple dozen charter schools, but present law hinders Nashville's ability to recruit nonprofit companies to run them. "We cannot be afraid to innovate," Dean told the committee previously. "We need it. I'm asking you as a mayor of a city that's in this position, give us this tool. We need this tool." The state's teachers' union is fighting the bill. The union argues charter schools will cherry-pick students, saddling regular schools with less funding and the worst kids. Today's Q&A with Harwell on how she might save her bill: Q: Is the legislation dead for this session? Harwell: It's not dead for this session. We'll open the committee back up at the call of the chair. We have some possibilities of amendments that might make more folks comfortable in the Democratic caucus. We'll see.
