Dive Brief:

• Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley last week signed a bill allowing charter schools to open in the state.
• Education officials believe that with the new bill approved, the state's first charter school could open as soon as fall 2016.
• Those against charter schools argue that traditional public school funding is still lower than it was before the recession, and that should be a priority for the state before allowing new, less regulated schools to come in. The move was, however, heavily pushed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature. 

Dive Insight:

In 2012, Bentley and legislators tried unsuccessfully to bring charter schools into the state. Following that, the Alabama Accountability Act was introduced in 2013, working as a voucher program that gave money to families wishing to enroll their children in private schools. 

Now that Alabama allows charter schools, there will only be seven states left to have not permitted them.