House committee supports bill calling for innovative charter schools

SALT LAKE CITY — The House Education Committee showed support for new, innovative charter schools on Friday, passing HB344.

The bill requires the State Charter School Board to request applications to establish innovative charter schools, such as a military charter school, a charter school for students at risk of academic failure, and a charter school focused on career and technical education.

Bill sponsor Rep. David Lifferth, R-Eagle Mountain, said the goal is to get charter school applicants to think outside the box and that the list of new charter schools is not inclusive.

“We've gotten pretty good at cookie-cutter charter schools that are just like public schools,” Lifferth said. “Charter schools should be laboratories of innovation.”

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