HSB 242

The bill defines “founding group” to mean a person, group of persons, or education service provider that develops and submits an application for a charter school to the state board. The bill defines “governing board” to mean the independent board of a charter school whose members are elected or selected pursuant to the charter school’s application and charter school contract. The bill establishes requirements for charter school application contents and procedure, requires the state board to adopt rules to establish appropriate application timelines and deadlines for the submission of charter school applications, and establishes standards for reviewing charter school applications by the state board, as specified in the bill. Each application review includes evaluation of the written application, an in-person interview with the applicant, and an opportunity in a public forum for local residents of the public school district within which the applicant proposes to locate the charter school to learn about and provide input on each application. The bill establishes provisions governing the approval or denial of a charter school application and the timing of such a decision, including the prohibition on approving an application if the applicant has another pending charter school application. The decision of the state board as to a charter school application is not appealable. After approval of the charter school application, the applicant and the state board must execute a charter school contract setting forth the operational performance expectations and measures by which the charter school will be evaluated. _____ An initial charter school contract shall be granted for a term of school budget years. The contract may provide for requirements or conditions to govern and monitor the start-up progress of an approved charter school prior to the opening of the charter school including but not limited to conditions to ensure that the charter school meets all building, health, safety, insurance, and other legal requirements. A charter school established under the bill has all the powers necessary for carrying out the terms of the charter school contract including those powers specified in the bill.10(1), unless waived by the state board during the application process. _____ with teachers who hold a valid license with an endorsement for the type of instruction or service for which the teacher is employed or under contract and establishes requirements for charter schools relating to enrollment and admissions policies. Upon enrollment of an eligible student, the charter school is required to notify the public school district of residence. Each student enrolled in a charter school established under the bill shall be counted, for state school foundation purposes, in the student’s district of residence. The school district of residence is then required to pay to the charter school in which the student is enrolled an amount equal to the sum of the state cost per pupil for the previous school year plus the teacher leadership supplement state cost per pupil for the previous school year plus any moneys received for the pupil as a result of the non-English speaking weighting for the previous school year multiplied by the state cost per pupil for the previous school year. If a student is an eligible pupil under the postsecondary enrollment options program, the charter school shall pay the tuition reimbursement amount to an eligible postsecondary institution. The bill also establishes provisions governing the payments to charter schools in the first year of operation. The bill establishes requirements for the performance provisions within the charter school contract that will guide the evaluation of the charter school by the state board. The state board is required to monitor the performance and compliance of each charter school it approves, including collecting and analyzing data according to the charter school contract in order to meet the requirements of the charter school contract and the bill. As part of the charter school contract, the charter school may be required to submit an annual report to assist the state board in evaluating the charter school’s performance and compliance with the performance framework. _____ where a charter school’s performance under the charter school contract or compliance with applicable laws or rules is unsatisfactory, including the authority to take appropriate corrective actions, impose sanctions, or revoke the contract. A charter school contract may be renewed for periods of time not to exceed an additional years. The bill also establishes provisions that govern the renewal process for a charter school contract, including standards under which the state board must operate when reviewing a charter school contract renewal application. The bill requires that, prior to any charter school closure decision, the state board must develop a charter school closure protocol to ensure timely notice to parents, provide for the orderly transition of students and student records to new schools, and to provide proper disposition of school funds, property, and assets. The bill also specifies the priority to be used when satisfying obligations of a charter school after its closure. Under the bill, each charter school is required to prepare and file an annual report with the department of education, the contents of which shall be determined by the department by rule. The state board of education is required to prepare and file with the general assembly by December 1, annually, a comprehensive report including items specified in the bill, along with findings and recommendations relating to the charter school program in the state and whether the charter school program is meeting the goals and purposes of the program.