Senator Steve French (R-Irondale) hopes to peel away Democratic opposition to his charter schools bill one by one in the Alabama legislature.

Critics, led by the Alabama Education Association, say the bill takes money from public schools.

“Charter schools take taxpayers dollars,” Lance Hyche tells FOX6 News.

Hyche is with the Birmingham office of AEA.

He says, “they (charter schools) don’t play by the same regulations, the same rules. We know it only weakens the public school system in Alabama.”

Charter schools are public schools, French insists. Republican strategy centers around promoting charter schools as a way to create new revenue in a budget-lean year.

That doesn’t fly with many of French’s fellow lawmakers in Jefferson county.

Rep. Oliver Robinson (D-Birmingham) says for starters, the federal dollars ($200 million, the governor estimates) are competitive, not a guarantee.

Rep. Robinson asks, “in two years, when the federal money is gone, do you take more money from public schools to fund charter schools?”

This morning on FOX6 News Good Day Alabama, Rep. John Rogers (D-Birmingham) bought time with his answer.

“I haven’t read the bill yet,” Rep. Rogers said.

Despite that fence-sitting, Rogers went to the point. He likes the potential for more federal dollars, but insists there is no chance such a bill will pass in this election year.

Watch the French/Rogers interview here.

Rick Journey

Filed under: Legislature