Senate Bill 127: Expanding the Existing Charter School Cap

Senate Bill 127, along with its companion, House Bill 936, is one of several bills put forward this session to expand the existing charter school cap in Texas. Th ough the tenants of SB 127 are simple, this is important legislation for Texas. Charter schools began as an experiment in this state, and have seen participation balloon in the years since inception in 1995. Currently, the state allows a maximum of 215 charter schools to operate. Th e goal of this bill, and others like it, appears to be to meet the demands of students and parents who want increased access to charter schools. Currently, there are an estimated 56,000 students on waiting lists for charter schools in Texas.