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RALEIGH - When President Barack Obama told Congress last week that he wants to expand federal funding for charter schools, some N.C. lawmakers took uneasy notice.

State law limits to 100 the number of charter schools, which are funded by tax dollars but are run by private boards. That reflects a certain legislative ambivalence toward the schools, which were created under a 1996 law but never fully embraced by the General Assembly's top voices on education.

Despite Obama's call to increase funding and "help create new, high-quality charter schools," N.C. lawmakers remain cautious.

"I don't, at this point in time, support raising the cap on the number of charter schools," said Rep. Maggie Jeffus , a Guilford County Democrat and former teacher who is involved in education policy in the General Assembly. She said some charters she had visited had excellent programs, but others struggled to keep pace with expectations in academics and management.

Four charter schools are in Guilford County: three in Greensboro and one in High Point. Although those operating now are fairly well-regarded, the state closed the county's first charter school. The Imani Institute ran into financial problems, and its accountant eventually pleaded guilty to embezzlement.

Charter schools are technically public schools. They do not charge tuition but often require a greater degree of parental involvement.

Despite persistent lobbying by charter school backers, the General Assembly has resisted raising the limit on the number of charter schools and appears unlikely to take dramatic action this year.

Jeffus and the leaders of the House Education Committee said last week that charter schools were created as labs where new teaching methods could be explored and exported to public schools.

But backers also push charter schools as an alternative to mainstream public schools.

Opponents of raising the cap caution that those alternatives do not always work out. They point to a 2007 report by the nonpartisan N.C. Center for Public Policy Research that found charter schools as a group lagged behind public schools in key measures such as graduation rate.

Supporters say the president's call plus the tough economic climate make now the perfect time to lift the limit on the number of charter schools.

"A charter school is actually working tax dollars as hard as we can work them," said Kim Norcross , managing director and acting principal of the Phoenix Academy charter school in High Point. "We're really saving taxpayer money."

Charter schools get a per-pupil allotment from the local school district. But they do not get funding for constructing or buying a school building and do not get a share of proceeds from the state lottery.

Like many charter schools, Phoenix Academy has had more children apply each year than it can admit. About 300 students in kindergarten through fifth grade attend, and the school counts on fundraising by parents and the community and public funding.

In a time when the state budget is stretched, some supporters say it makes sense to encourage charter schools that can combine taxpayer and private money.

But Rep. John Blust , a Greensboro Republican, isn't optimistic that Obama's call will sway Democratic leaders.

"I don't think it will shove those in charge of this legislature one bit. I wish that it would," Blust said. "If there are options that there can be excellent schools built to take away some of our capital needs and have a great school ... we ought to take it."

House Education Committee Chairman Rep. Marvin Lucas , a Cumberland County Democrat, said he was drafting a bill that would raise the cap on charters slightly - perhaps to 105 or 110 - but acknowledged that its prospects were uncertain.

Other bills to raise or modify the cap have been filed by Republicans.

Opponents of expanding charter schools point out that North Carolina has never filled all 100 slots available. According to the Department of Public Instruction's Web site, 98 charters are operating.

Leanne Winner, a lobbyist for the N.C. School Boards Association, says charter schools sap resources from the state that could be used to help public school systems. She also argued that the payment per pupil that charter schools get was too high in many cases.

For example, teaching a high school student is much more costly than providing a curriculum for an elementary school student. But a charter gets the same amount of money for kindergartner as it does for a high school senior.

The N.C. Association of Educators also opposes lifting the charter cap.

Still, charter schools do seem to be winning over some critics. Rep. Pricey Harrison , a Greensboro Democrat, opposed charters early in her legislative career but said her views are evolving.

"Having the president endorse the notion from a pretty progressive perspective does assuage the concerns of some of the folks here who view it as a partisan issue," she said.

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com