The Senate has voted 22-12 to lift all caps on creation of new charter schools in Idaho, both the six-per-year cap and the one-per-school-district cap. The House-passed bill, HB 481, now heads to the governor's desk. Backers said Idaho's caps make the state not seem "charter-friendly," and have hurt the chances for federal and private foundation grants for charter schools.

Senate Education Chairman John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, said, "I had some concerns about this from a financial impact on small districts, where a small district might be faced with more than one charter coming into that district in one year. I was assured by the charter school commission personnel that one of the things they consider, when they consider new petitions, is the impact on a local school district, and it would be highly unusual if two charters could ever be ... set up in one year in a small district."

Goedde said there are "six or seven" in the works, and Idaho could get more than six new ones next year if the governor signs the bill into law. "It should be just a one-year aberration," he said, rather than "open(ing) the floodgates."

Opponents said the sudden creation of lots of charter schools would destabilize school district funding, by shifting funds to follow students to the new charter schools, while fixed costs, like electricity, remain the same in the traditional schools those students leave. Sen Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, who said she's a strong supporter of charter schools, said, "What we do not fund at the state level becomes a property tax mandate." She warned that lifting the cap would result in higher property taxes. Sen. Edgar Malepeai, D-Pocatello, said, "There may be a time when we may have to look at this and remove that cap. I don't believe right now is a good time, under the economic circumstances that we're looking at in this state."

But Sen. Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, said, "Charter schools are public schools. A lot of our public don't understand that. ... To me, it's a matter of choice."