On Monday, the State Board of Education was evenly split (4-4) on a resolution that would require charter schools to submit completed applications before the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) could issue them a school district number.

The MDE was not allotting school codes to new charter schools until the Department received completed applications. However, an Attorney General opinion ruled that the MDE was overstepping its legal authority in not issuing the numbers within 30 days of receiving an application.

The State Board of Education initiated discussions on this issue at its May meeting; however, it was unable to reach an agreement.  Some of the concerns raised about the resolution include: what constitutes a completed application; the policy could benefit large charter operators and disadvantage smaller ones; and the financial burden of completing applications.

The MDE will attend the Board’s August meeting with additional suggestions on how to resolve the issue.