By Phil West - The Commercial Appeal -

JACKSON -- Legislation authorizing charter schools begins working its way through the Legislature this week, but such schools likely won't be established in DeSoto County because its students already are performing so well academically.

The legislation would allow publicly funded charter schools that would require approval by a seven-member Mississippi Public Charter School Authorizer Board.

Once approved, state, local and federal dollars that normally follow each student in the public school system would be diverted to the charter school.

In high-performing districts such as DeSoto County, charter school applicants would have to go through an additional layer of approval: the local school board.

That would be an uphill battle.

"I'm not in favor of charter schools because, as a rule, they take money from us because they're getting our students," county school board chairwoman Ann Jolley said.

Jolley, who cautioned that she was speaking only for herself and not the entire school board, said traditional public schools would have to pick up the slack in case the charter school failed, but the public school would have lost the funding for each child enrolled in the charter school.

"In my opinion: no, it would not favor us regardless of where it would be," Jolley said.

"Here in DeSoto County, I think it would be like another private school starting up -- only they'd be taking our money."

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves discussed the charter school legislation, which would be considered in the Senate as early as today, during an afternoon news conference in his office Monday.

The legislation likely will sail through the Legislature, where Republicans hold a majority, and be signed by Gov. Phil Bryant, who has endorsed the charter school concept.

"It is my view that charter schools are not some panacea," Reeves said.

"They're not going to solve all of our educational challenges overnight. They are simply another tool in the tool box to improve education attainment level in Mississippi."

The Mississippi version of charter schools would require any group seeking approval for the schools to apply to the authorizing board consisting of members appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, superintendent of education and the commissioner of higher education.

Reeves noted that 21 percent of the state's school districts are performing so well that they would require local school board approval, in addition to the state authorizing board, before they could be established.

He said 79 percent of the state's school districts would need only state board approval.

"I've said repeatedly that I believe job creation is our No. 1 priority in state government, but I also believe that intrinsic within our job creation efforts we must improve the education attainment level of our citizens," Reeves said.