Relating to education by establishing a right of first refusal for charter schools to purchase or lease school district property and modifying charter school and open enrollment funding, and charter school board member requirements

This bill relates to education by establishing a right of first refusal for charter schools to purchase or lease school district property and modifying charter school and open enrollment funding, and charter school board member requirements. DIVISION I —— FUNDING FORMULA. The bill requires the department of education, when a student enrolls in a charter school, to pay the charter school a sum equal to the regular program state cost per pupil for the budget year plus the teacher leadership supplement state cost per pupil, the teacher salary supplement cost per pupil, the professional development supplement state cost per pupil, and the early intervention supplement state cost per pupil for the budget year, plus any moneys that would be due to the student’s school district of residence as a result of non-English speaking weighting for the budget year, multiplied by the state cost per pupil for the budget year. Under current law, the department of education only pays the state cost per pupil, teacher leadership supplement, and non-English speaking weighting based on the previous year as multiplied by the state cost per pupil based on the previous year to a charter school in which a student enrolls. The bill contains similar provisions for a school district of residence’s payments to a school in which a pupil open enrolls. DIVISION II —— SCHOOL DISTRICT PROPERTY. The bill requires the board of directors of a school district to allow charter schools reasonable access to underutilized property and vacant property for educational purposes. The bill also requires the board of directors of a school district to publish information related to the square footage of each school building owned by the school district, the enrollment capacity of each attendance center owned by the school district, how each school building owned by the school district is currently utilized by the school district, and school buildings owned by the school district that are vacant on the school district’s internet site. The bill prohibits the board of directors of a school district from entering into any agreement that prohibits the sale of real property to a school district, an accredited nonpublic school, a charter school, an innovation zone school, the state board of regents, an institution of higher education under the control of the state board of regents, or certain private colleges and universities. The bill requires the board of directors of a school district to give a right of first refusal to an existing charter school established pursuant to Code chapter 256E that is located within the school district to purchase or lease underutilized property and vacant property.1 (power of electors), and as additional to such power.1 for a purpose directly contrary to the action previously approved by the board of directors. The bill defines “underutilized property” as real property owned by the school district that the school district has determined is not being used to the fullest extent reasonably possible by the school district because the school district uses the real property irregularly or intermittently or because the school district uses the real property for purposes that only require a portion of the real property. The bill defines “vacant property” as real property owned by the school district that the school district has determined is not occupied by the school district or is not being put to use by the school district.3.2, subsection 3, which would relieve a school district from complying with a state mandate if funding for the cost of the state mandate is not provided or specified. Therefore, school districts are required to comply with any state mandate included in the division. DIVISION III —— CHARTER SCHOOLS —— BOARD MEMBER RESIDENCE. Current law provides that each member of the governing board of a charter school established under Code chapter 256E who is not a resident of the geographic area served by the charter school must be a resident of this state. The bill strikes this provision.