SALEM, Ore. -- The Oregon House has voted down a bill aimed at making it easier to open a charter school.
The measure sponsored by Wilsonville Republican Rep. Matt Wingard was rejected Monday after three Republicans joined most Democrats in opposition.
The vote was the second partisan battle of the year in the House, which is evenly divided between the two major parties. Republicans won the first fight over tax breaks for businesses.
The measure that failed by four votes Monday would have removed some barriers to new charter schools and allowed charter seekers to get around opposition from local school boards in some cases.
Supporters say it was designed to stop school boards from throwing road blocks at proposed charters. But opponents say it would have removed local control from the process.
