Texas: House lawmakers approve a plan to expand charter schools statewide (Associated Press).

Pennsylvania: The state's director of open records says  charter schools are the No. 1 violator of the law (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Philadelphia public school officials recommend closing Discovery Charter School due to a dispute over enrollment caps and other concerns (NewsWorks). The School Reform Commission approved the renewal of five charter school contracts, with all agreeing to abide by a new enrollment cap (The Notebook).

Louisiana: State Superintendent John White warns of the fallout from the recent Supreme Court ruling on voucher funding, revealing the state needs to find an extra $29 million for the current school year (Times-Picayune). White also contends that the ruling will result in a $12 million refund for the public school system (Shreveport Times). More from Education Week. Charter Schools USA and National Heritage Academies look to build four charter schools in the Lafayette Parish (The Advertiser). The education department received applications for more than 100 charter schools (Times-Picayune).

Ohio: Lawmakers introduce a bill that would require Columbus schools’ property-tax dollars be shared with charters, and give the mayor the power to sponsor charter schools (Columbus Dispatch).

Maine: Democrats push bills that impose a moratorium on virtual charter schools and require charter schools function as nonprofit organizations (Bangor Daily News). More from the Kennebec Journal. The Education Committee votes along party lines to reject virtual schools (Portland Press Herald). Gov.  Paul LePage wants to allow colleges and universities to authorize charter schools (Maine Public Broadcasting Network).

Florida: A magnet elementary school is considering becoming a charter school to save arts and music classes from district budget cuts (redefinED). A bill that won approval on the last day of the legislative session will open up public school funding to private virtual schools (Tampa Bay Times). Duval County Superintendent Nikolai Vitti says he miscalculated the impact that funding for charter schools would have on next year's school budget (First Coast News). (more…)

Washington: The new Charter School Commission is attracting candidates from across the state and beyond, including Liz Finne, a lawyer and director of the Center for Education Reform at the Washington Policy Center. The governor and other leaders expect to choose nine volunteers by March 6 (Associated Press). A coalition of educators and community groups filed a legal challenge that questions the constitutionality of Washington's new charter schools law (Associated Press). More from Education Week.

Colorado: With more than 80,000 students enrolled in 190 charter schools, charter leaders try to clear up misconceptions about the school choice option (Reporter-Herald). Douglas County's Choice Scholarship Program does not violate the  state Constitution, rules an appeals court. The outcome could have wide-ranging implications for whether vouchers  can be used statewide (Associated Press).

Alabama: Legislators approve tax credit scholarships for students attending failing public schools (Associated Press). More about the "legislative bombshell''  that Republicans called historic and Democrats said was a sleazy "bait and switch,'' at AL.com. And the site offers a primer on the Alabama Accountability Act.

Idaho: Khan Academy will provide math, physics and history classes in 47 public, private and charter schools this fall, making Idaho the nation's first proving ground for statewide implementation of the free online educational content and teaching model (Associated Press).

Michigan: A report measuring charter school performance statewide calls the Eastern Michigan University-authorized schools the second worst system in the state. EMU says the report doesn't take into account that the schools serve some of the state's toughest communities (Ann Arbor.com)

California: A parents group in Los Angeles is using the state's landmark parent trigger law to force the school district to reform a low-performing school. (Los Angeles Times). More from the Associated Press and Education Week. A national report finds the state continues to lead the nation in charter school growth, despite funding disparities and access to facilities (Huffington Post). Oakland district officials say the American Indian Model Schools, a charter network touted for its academic successes, suffers from "corrupt fiscal practices" and should be shut down (Oakland Tribune).

Michigan: A new report finds the typical Michigan charter school student school gained more learning in  a year than a district school peer, amounting to about an additional two  months of reading and math learning (The Detroit News).

Texas: Key state lawmakers are looking at the franchise tax on businesses as a vehicle to fund private-school scholarships for low-income students (Austin Business Journal). Critics of a proposed voucher program say all it will strip the public school system of funding and state leaders should instead restore $5.4 billion cut from education in 2011 (KUT News). Similar arguments in stories from KX11.com and the Associated Press.

Florida: Magnet schools continue to grow on the school choice landscape (redefinED). A new bill would require emergency response agencies to notify private schools just like they do public schools (redefinED). In response to the Newtown tragedy, private schools and charter schools are considering additional security measures too (redefinED).

Georgia: Tax credit scholarships are used at private schools that bar gay students (New York Times). (more…)

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New Hampshire: The ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State file suit against the state's new tax credit scholarship program (New Hampshire Public Radio). More from Associated Press.

Maine: State Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen points to problems in the process after the state charter school commission rejects four of five applicants (Bangor DailyNews). Gov. Paul LePage tees off on the commission and the teachers union after the rejections (Portland Press Herald). Supporters of virtual charter schools are also upset (Portland Press Herald). The teachers union blasts LePage for wanting to lift the cap on charter schools (Portland Press Herald). Public school administrators say charters should have to feel effect of  education budget cuts too (Bangor Daily News).

Kansas: Vouchers, tax credit scholarships and an expansion of charter schools are all expected to be part of the legislative discussion this year (Wichita Eagle.)

Kentucky: A bill is filed to allow a limited number of charter schools to open in the state for the first time (Kentucky Public Radio).

California: Parents at Desert Trails Elementary School finally succeed in using the  parent trigger law to get a charter school to take over their school (Los Angeles Times). More from Hechinger Report and Education Week.

Georgia: A state representative is planning to file a parent trigger bill for the session that begins today (Associated Press).

Mississippi: Business leaders are backing the legislative push for charter schools (Associated Press). Racial divisions and mistrust are at play in debate over charter schools (Hechinger Report). (more…)