LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Charter schools in Michigan have historically been targeted by Democrats.

For example, in 2011, Democratic Senators Rebekah Warren and Hoon-Yung Hopgood tried to introduce a constitutional amendment to ban charters that were operated by for-profit entities.

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In 2020, the Democrat-controlled Michigan Civil Rights Commission tried to cut funding to charter schools. The commission wanted to cut 25% from the state foundation grant that went to all public-school districts.

Neither were successful.

But the Democratic party in Michigan currently controls the state legislature and holds the governor’s office until December in this lame-duck legislation. That will end in January.

And proponents of charter schools are worried about what may be in store.

Currently there are four Senate bills and five House bills that were introduced by Democrats pertaining to charter schools. There were hearings on the bills Wednesday.

Senate Bill 947 was sponsored by Democrat Dayna Polehanki. The bill targets National Heritage Academies, a management company that has 61 charter schools in Michigan. There are 286 charter schools in the state.

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National Heritage Academies builds or buys a school building for its charter schools and then acts as the landlord by leasing the building to the charter schools. It can be difficult for charter schools to find a building because they are not allowed by state law to have a millage or sell bonds to finance capital projects like the traditional public schools. And many traditional schools look upon charter schools as competition.

Senate Bill 947 would not allow National Heritage Academies to serve as a landlord and still be the management company for its charter schools.

Proponents of charter schools worry that it could endanger the future of charter schools if they can’t find access to facilities.

“There are charter school educators and board members and authorizers in the audience today who will tell you that the effect of this legislation is that it will make it harder for them to serve their students,”  Michigan Association of Public School Academies Board Chairman Buzz Thomas said during testimony Wednesday. “This legislation will not make their schools better; not in any way, shape or form. It will not improve outcomes for their students. It will do nothing to help kids. And it stigmatizes the decisions made by well-meaning parents, teachers and administrators Why do we think that this is the right time to be targeting charter schools and charter school students?”

The package of charter bills has support of the Democratic-controlled State Board of Education.

“The State Board of Education, in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Education, has long called for increased transparency regarding the finances of public school academies and charter school education management organizations, which in Michigan are often private, for-profit, entities that manage charter schools,” said Board President Dr. Pamela Pugh, who also testified Wednesday. “Charter schools are public schools. Parents and other members of the public should be able to find out information about their finances and operations just as easily as they are able to do so for traditional public schools. Unfortunately, that is not the case.”