More than 20 charter schools are asking a new state commission to give them a second chance at opening their doors in Georgia.

Local districts denied their approval last year for various reasons, but under a new state law, the schools can appeal to the Charter School Commission.

According to a report given to the state Board of Education today, 34 schools are asking the commission for approval, including 21 that were previously denied.

The others are mostly online charter schools that have not asked for approval in the past.

Charter schools get taxpayer funding but have the autonomy to be innovative and are exempt from most educational mandates, such as class size and teacher pay. The state has 113 charter schools.

Tags: Georgia, Board of Education, charter schools, Charter School Commission, taxpayer funding, educational mandates