CMS takes another swipe at towns and municipal charter schools

In the closing days of the year, CMS is reportedly encouraging Governor Cooper to veto a bill that would allow employees of possible future municipal charter schools to join state retirement plans.

Check out the below from this article in Thursday's Raleigh News&Observer.

Senate Bill 469, which makes technical corrections to several state laws, goes to Gov. Roy Cooper for his signature.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system is asking Cooper to veto the bill because it would allow teachers in any municipal charter schools opened by four Mecklenburg towns to join the state retirement and health systems. Former Rep. Charles Jeter, who’s now government relations coordinator for CMS, said the district is against the bill because it will make it much more likely for those municipal charter schools to open.

Senate Bill 469 passed on Thursday and includes numerous other changes besides this one which affects the towns in Mecklenburg County allowed to consider opening their own municipal charter schools.   It will be interesting to see what Cooper does here considering that we are at the end of the year and the end of the legislative term.

According to StateScape.com, which tracks differences in how states handle various issues, North Carolina could see this bill become law the following ways with or without Governor Cooper's signature.

The governor must sign or veto legislation within 10 days after transmittal, or it becomes law without his/her signature. If the legislature adjourns for more than 30 days, the governor must act within 30 days after adjournment, or the legislation becomes law without being signed. If the governor vetoes legislation after adjournment, he/she must reconvene the session or the legislation becomes law despite the veto on the 40th day after session adjournment.

It is unclear exactly how this might ultimately play out since new legislators are going to be sworn in starting January 1st after this past November's election and the new legislature would be able to sustain a veto. This bill also contains things Democrats outside Mecklenburg may like such as preventing state takeover of certain failing schools.  It sets up the scenario of the Republican controlled legislature forming bills that can peel off Democrats over local issues to cobble together the votes for veto overrides.  In this case that override would come at the expense of what Democrats in Mecklenburg County may want.  Since Charlotte-Mecklenburg is in the complete control of Democrats now at the city, county, and legislative levels, this is something people should expect to see over...and over...and over again in the coming Republican controlled legislative session.

What is clear is that CMS is willing to go to any length to stop municipal charters from opening - including preventing retirement and health benefits for any teachers who might choose to teach in one.

Update:

See the latest on this story from the Observer.  A game of Christmas Chicken is being played in Raleigh over municipal charters.