Dems worry lifting charter school cap could lead to resegregation (video)

Wake County Senator Richard Stevens told colleagues Wednesday that ending North Carolina’s cap on charter schools was a top priority for the leadership this session. Stevens is the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 8 that would lift the cap, establish a new commission to oversee charter schools, and allow counties to use lottery funds for construction.

While Guilford County Sen. Gladys Robinson raised concerns about the performance standards and accountability of more charter schools, other Democrats worried about segregation.

“If you’re not having transportation and you’re not providing school lunches, you don’t have to put that there’s a race element in it, for race to come to become a major factor. Then you have segregated schools and our public dollars are paying for that,” said Senator Josh Stein.

Sen. Stevens said he hopes they can reach a consensus on the bill when the discussion resumes next week.

For more from Wednesday’s hearing, click below: