Education entrepreneurs around the country face regulatory barriers from local governments, impeding their creation and growth. In one case, a microschool founder in St. George, Utah, spent over $100,000 in legal fees and attorney costs trying to battle the city to let him operate.
Because microschools are a new concept, city and county bureaucrats typically don’t know how to regulate these new models of learning. Are they a traditional school? Not really because the student body is so small. Are they a daycare or preschool? No, they aren’t that either because the children are school age.
The Libertas Utah team developed model legislation that passed into law, becoming the first such law of its kind in the country—one of over 20 innovative, first-in-the-nation reforms Libertas Utah has gotten passed.
The legislation does two important things. First, it specifies that microschools and similar businesses are a “permitted” use in all areas of a city or county. This means that they do not need to obtain a permit and jump through regulatory hurdles to seek permission. They are granted, by law, the right to operate in any zoned property.
Second, it makes the building requirements make sense for these new models. Building codes for public schools are designed for schools with a high population density and are more restrictive than typical commercial buildings. Instead, this legislation allows these schools to operate in commercial buildings, or if the school is really small, to operate out of a home.
Removing these barriers for microschools gives thousands of kids a thriving and diverse learning environment. Families can find the education that works best for their child, and teachers can create the schools of their dreams.
Now, following our “Nail It, Then Scale It” system, the Libertas Institute team will help other states pass this legislation to support education entrepreneurs and their students across the country.