Lawmakers have made it easier to create independent schools

Gov. Mark Sanford signed a law this week that will make it easier to start charter schools. The new process should be used, but these schools should be approved judiciously and with local input.

Charter schools are public schools, funded with public money. But they are independent of local school boards and many of the rules that govern most public schools. Operated by the citizens who organize them, they are intended to function as laboratories for educational innovation.

South Carolina has few charter schools in comparison to other states. The reason is that state law made it difficult to establish these schools.

For many years, the state required that charter schools meet strict guidelines on the racial makeup of their student bodies. That law was eased, but the state still experienced no bloom in the number of charter schools.

Part of the reason was that state law required charter school organizers to gain permission for the new school from their local school board. School trustees are unlikely to approve a competing school that would be operated outside their authority and would draw funding away from their facilities.

So lawmakers passed the new law, which establishes a statewide charter school district that will have the authority to approve new charter schools.

It's a good step that should lead to the establishment of more charter schools and could lead to genuine educational progress.

But authorities should be careful not to approve every project that meets their minimum requirements. Different is not always better. Charter schools will siphon resources from existing schools. Organizers of any new project should be able to show why their school will add to their community's educational environment and serve a purpose not being met by the existing schools.

Officials of the new statewide charter district should also be committed to hearing from local officials. School boards should not be cut completely from this process. There may be legitimate reasons why a charter school should not be started in any given community. State authorities should be willing to listen to local concerns.

The new law is a positive step, but with any new process, it should be undertaken cautiously with respect for existing institutions.