The future of a Mississippi charter school law rests with legislative leaders working to iron out differences between bills passed by the state Senate and House, leaving local school leaders watching from the sidelines.

As they watch and wait, Brookhaven and Lincoln County superintendents remain concerned about the potential results of charter school legislation and not yet sold on the benefits of such schools.

Brookhaven School District Superintendent Lisa Karmacharya forwarded some serious concerns about what may happen to traditional public school districts competing against charter schools.

“Depending on how the legislation fell out, it could be devastating to a school district,” Karmacharya said of a charter’s school impact. “I’m still not sure everyone has thought through all the unintended consequences of what could happen if the charter schools come to pass.”

About a block from Karmacharya’s office, Lincoln County Superintendent Terry Brister discussed from his own office the details of what those unintended consequences could be.

He fears charter schools could, through selective admissions, skim the best students out of public schools.

He doesn’t have that luxury.

“Charter schools are to some extent very selective,” Brister said. “I have to educate every child that walks through that door, no matter what their level of achievement is.”

Some charter schools do use a lottery system for admission, however.

Charter school supporters, including local lawmaker District 92 Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven have described charter schools as a remedy for the plight of students caught in perennially failing school districts.

In some such districts, scores may be dismal enough there’s not much of the “best and brightest” to skim off.

Supporters further point to the success of charter schools in places like the Arkansas Delta and say the same could happen in Mississippi.

The state Senate charter school bill would allow A and B rated school districts to veto a charter school. The House bill allows C rated school districts to do the same.

Whether school districts rated as a C by the state Department of Education should be able to keep charter school out has remained a key point of contention between the two legislative chambers.

On the 2012 scorecard for schools and districts, the Lincoln County district received a B grade. If the district retained or bettered that rating, it could veto the presence of a charter school under either the House to Senate bill.

The year before, the district was rated a C, however.

For the previous two years, Brookhaven has been ranked as a D district, making it vulnerable to charter schools under either bill.

Both Brister and Karmacharya expressed concerns about the funding impact a charter school could potentially have on their district, or any district.

Schools receive much of the funding a per-pupil basis, meaning the loss of students means a direct loss in dollars.

Contemplating the side effects on his district if a charter school located in Lincoln County, Brister provided a dim prognosis.

“You’d lose teachers in your local schools and that would have an economic affect,” Brister said.

Karmacharya said much the same and raised the specter of school closures within a district.

“If you lose dollars, you’re going to have to lose teachers, who may or may not get a job at the charter school,” she said. “You might have to consolidate if a school district were to lose a significant number of students.”

Brister also remains skeptical that charter schools are touted as a means of reform because they’re free from many regulation and standards – standards traditional public remain constrained by.

“When they try charter schools, they’re putting it out there and saying run it as you see fit,” Brister said. “Give me the same freedom to do things. I’ll have 40 years in education in four more years. I’ve got some insight.”