A proposal that would create a special panel to authorize charter schools in several Tennessee counties is advancing in the House.
The measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Mark White was approved on a voice vote in the House Finance Committee Wednesday and will now be scheduled for a vote by the full House.
The panel would oversee five of the state's lowest performing counties: Davidson, Hamilton, Hardeman, Knox and Shelby. Currently local school boards decide whether to authorize a charter application. There are 48 charter schools in Tennessee.
Under the proposal, applicants rejected in the five counties could appeal to the nine-member, governor-appointed panel.