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RALEIGH – State education leaders are looking at how to expand the state's charter school system now that the cap has been eliminated. The state board plans to create an advisory board to help with the expansion process.

A new state law eliminated the old 100 school cap on the number of charter schools allowed in North Carolina. State education leaders now have to decide how they will determine what new charters to allow.

“I think we need to do our very best to demonstrate that we are working in good faith and working in the spirit of this legislation,” said State Board of Education Chair Bill Harrison.

Charter school advocates say this is the type of response they were hoping to hear, but they are concerned with the board's plans to create an advisory council could delay the expansion of the schools. They are hopeful growth and the council creation can happen at the same time.

“Looking at applications now, with the existing resources that we have, and at the same time putting together that council which may take some time,” said Eddie Goodall with the N.C. Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

On Thursday, the board began discussions of the make-up of the council and what it would responsible for, including making sure only the best of the best schools have their applications approved. This is something education leaders say was lacking when charter schools were first introduced in North Carolina, which allowed some less than desirable schools to be created.

“It was almost a mad rush to get to the cap of 100 charter schools,” said Harrison. “So, I think that there were some early charter schools that really should not have been approved.”