North Carolina: The private school voucher bill continues to raise questions as it moves through the Legislature (Winston-Salem Journal).

Texas: The Legislature passes a bill that gradually expands the number of charter schools from 215 to 305 by 2019 (Associated Press). A new bill would expand the virtual school program and let high school students take up to three online courses a year, paying for additional classes if they choose (The Dallas Morning News).

Utah: Highmark Charter School offers basic business skills, including entrepreneurship, to students in K-8 grades (Education Week).

Alabama: Democrats say they'll use the education act, which included new school choice tax credits to help parents pay for private school, to get Republican supporters voted out of office (Associated Press).

Arizona: A growing number of students are earning high school diplomas and college credits through dual-enrollment programs (Arizona Republic).

Michigan: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush talks about the need for parents and students to have more school choice options (Detroit Free Press).

Wisconsin: Lawmakers back away from Gov. Scott Walker's plans for a statewide charter school board and voucher expansion (State Journal). Republicans are working on a deal that would increase funding for public schools and extend a school voucher program (Journal Sentinel).

Louisiana: Students using private school vouchers performed worse on state standardized tests than their public counterparts (Times-Picayune). (more…)

Washington, D.C.: District Mayor Vincent Gray plans to allow charter schools and community organizations to lease 16 public school buildings,  some of which were slated to close next school year (Washington Post). More from the Washington Examiner. The charter board approves two new schools, including one that helps adults learn to read (Washington Post).

New Jersey: Charter school operators are finalizing plans for teacher and principal evaluations (NJ Spotlight).

Louisiana: A new state report finds that the education department had gaps in monitoring the academic performance of charter schools (Associated Press). More from the Times-Picayune. Khan Academy founder Salman Khan says virtual education may change the role of teachers, but it won't make them obsolete (Times-Picayune). Superintendent John White is scaling back the course choice mini-voucher program (Times-Picayune).

Florida: Virtual school gives teachers more freedom with scheduling and, in some cases, more opportunities (redefinED).

Pennsylvania: Thousands of Mastery Charter School students gathered for a "college signing day'' to celebrate the 450 graduating seniors continuing their education (Philadelphia Inquirer). Philadelphia charter school operators joined district leaders and Mayor Michael Nutter in calling for more education funding (CBS Philly). The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools responds to complaints that its operators violate open records laws (The Sentinel).

Alabama: The Legislature rejects Gov. Robert Bentley's proposal for a two-year delay on the school tax credit scholarship plan known as the Alabama Accountability Act (Montgomery Advertiser).

California: Dissatisfied parents use the state's parent trigger law to remove a principal  from a Los Angeles elementary school (Education Week). Los Angeles' Renaissance Arts Academy charter school offers string instruments and dance instruction in every-day curriculum to motivate students (Southern California Public Radio).

North Carolina: The House passes a bill that would make charter schools eligible for permanent license tags that exempt their vehicles from annual fees and inspections (WRAL). Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina creates a new program to open charter schools in rural areas (Education Week). The state assembly considers creating a charter school board (North Carolina Public Radio). The House Education Committee hears both sides of a fierce debate on school vouchers that has Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform, weighing in (Associated Press). (more…)

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…)

Louisiana: Supreme Court rules that the funding method for the state's expanded voucher program is unconstitutional (The Advocate). Gov. Bobby Jindal calls the ruling a victory because it didn't dissolve the overall voucher program (The Times-Picayune). More from the Washington Post and Education Week.

North Carolina: The Senate approves a bill that creates a charter school oversight board (Associated Press). Another bill aims to provide funding for school innovation programs that link schools and districts with businesses, community colleges and universities (News &  Observer). A low-performing charter school pays its top administrator $187,000 a year and his wife, $120,000 (WCNC). Researcher finds charter schools are more racially segregated than public schools (WCNC).

Washington, D.C.: Demand for charter school seats seems to be highest for early-childhood programs and for schools rated high-performing (Washington Post). Education Chancellor Kaya Henderson introduces a new hybrid school that calls for a charter school to run a traditional school (Washington Post).

Oklahoma: Congressman Tom Cole introduces legislation to allow homeschool families a tax deduction for certain expenses (Associated Press).

South Carolina: The state receives 18 charter school applications for the 2014-15 school year (The State).

Florida: Private schools that accept tax credit scholarships look to improve parent engagement (redefinED). Digital learning bill calls for study of course-choice options (redefinED). Legislators approve bill that allows online learning companies better access to public funding (Miami Herald). (more…)