The House voted Tuesday evening to reopen the Education Committee Wednesday morning to discuss a bill to expand eligibility for charter schools. The bill, House Bill 2146, would expand eligibility to attend charter schools from those zoned to attend a failing school to any student whose family income qualifies him to receive free or reduced lunch.

“I’m glad that these low-income kids will finally receive the full and fair discussion of charter schools that they deserve,” said Rep. Brian Kelsey.

The move to reopen the committee this late in the legislative session came after a month-long series of events. On May 7 the Senate voted 22-7 to pass the bill with all Republicans and half of Senate Democrats voting in favor. On the House side, the bill passed the K-12 Subcommittee on May 6 with all Republicans and one Democrat voting in favor. The bill then moved to the full Education Committee, where two Democrats were presumed to be voting for the bill.

At that point House Democrats invoked a rarely used “unit rule,” in which the entire 49-member caucus is bound to vote the position taken by a simple majority of the members, upon threat of political retaliation. The committee then adjourned May 20 without taking a vote on the bill, which was presumed dead for the year.

On May 28, Rep. Kelsey filed an amendment onto another education bill on the House floor to force the House to take up the issue again. Democrats avoided voting on the charter schools issue by delaying discussion of that bill, HB 1873, for one week. Later the same day Obama administration Education Secretary Arne Duncan, in response to a question about Tennessee, said that states that choose not to increase charter school enrollment will risk losing up to $100 million in “Race to the Top” federal stimulus funds for education.

On June 4 Rep. Kelsey filed the charter schools amendment onto another education bill on the House floor, HB 1525. Discussion of both HB 1873 and HB 1525 was delayed indefinitely while negotiations to reopen the Education committee ensued.

Today, Rep. Kelsey filed the charter schools amendment onto another bill on the House floor, HB 1479. To avoid voting on the issue again, discussion of that bill was delayed until tomorrow. At the end of session today, the House voted for the move to reopen the Education Committee tomorrow morning.

“Charter school expansion will help poor children have a chance to receive a quality education,” said Rep. Kelsey. “Our public school system is the last vestige of slavery. It traps many impoverished kids into a system of poor education with very little chance of success. I’m glad that this bill continues to pick up bipartisan support from the local level all the way up to the presidency.”

The bill is supported by President Obama, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Governor Bredesen, Mayor Karl Dean of Nashville, half of Senate Democrats, all Senate Republicans, and all Republican members of the House K-12 Subcommittee.