00                            SENATE BILL NO. 185                                                                         
01 "An Act relating to the funding of charter schools; and relating to the conversion of                                   
02 existing public schools to charter schools."                                                                            
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1. AS 14.03.250(b) is amended to read:                                                                   
05            (b)  A local school board shall prescribe an application procedure for the                                   
06       establishment of a charter school in that school district. The application procedure                              
07       must include provisions for an academic policy committee consisting of parents of                                 
08       students attending the school, teachers, and school employees, provisions for                                 
09       conversion of an existing school in the district to a charter school, and a proposed                          
10       form for a contract between a charter school and the local school board, setting out the                          
11       contract elements required under AS 14.03.255(c).                                                                 
12    * Sec. 2. AS 14.03.250 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                              
13            (d)  A school district shall assist a charter school applicant in converting an                              
14       existing school operating in the district to a charter school if the applicant                                    

01       demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the district, that a majority of the parents and                             
02       guardians of students enrolled in the school support conversion to a charter school. On                           
03       approval of the school board and the state board under (c) of this section, the district                          
04       shall transfer the operation of the school, along with furnishings, materials, and                                
05       fixtures, to the advisory body of the charter school for use by the charter school for the                        
06       duration of the charter. The school district shall, however, continue to pay costs                                
07       associated with operating the facility from the district budget and may not charge rent                           
08       or other expenses of the facility to the charter school.                                                          
09    * Sec. 3. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                     
10            Sec. 14.03.263. Charter school grant program. (a) A charter school that is                                 
11       established on or after the effective date of this Act may receive a one-time grant from                          
12       the department equal to the amount of $500 for each student enrolled in the school on                             
13       October 1 of the first year in which the school applies for the grant. The charter school                         
14       shall use a grant received under this section to provide educational services. In this                            
15       subsection, "educational services" includes curriculum development, program                                       
16       development, and special education services.                                                                      
17            (b)  The department shall establish by regulation procedures for the application                             
18       for and expenditure of grant funds under (a) of this section.                                                     
19            (c)  If the amount appropriated in a fiscal year for the charter school grant                                
20       program is insufficient to meet the amounts authorized under (a) of this section, the                             
21       department shall reduce pro rata the per pupil grant amount by the necessary                                      
22       percentage as determined by the department. If a charter school grant is reduced under                            
23       this subsection, the charter school may apply to the department in a subsequent fiscal                            
24       year for the balance of the grant amount.                                                                         
25    * Sec. 4. AS 14.03.265(a) is amended to read:                                                                      
26            (a)  The program of a charter school may be designed to serve                                                
27                 (1)  students within an age group or grade level;                                                       
28                 (2)  students who will benefit from a particular teaching method or                                     
29       curriculum; [OR]                                                                                                  
30                 (3)  nonresident students, including providing domiciliary services for                                 
31       students who need those services, if approved by the board; or                                                

01                 (4)  students who attended a public school that was converted to a                                  
02       charter school under AS 14.03.250(b).                                                                         
03    * Sec. 5. AS 14.03.265 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                              
04            (d)  Notwithstanding the requirements for admission under (b) of this section, a                             
05       charter school that was converted from another public school shall accept applicants                              
06       for admission in the following order of priority on a space-available basis:                                      
07                 (1)  students who were enrolled in the school before the school was                                     
08       converted to a charter school;                                                                                    
09                 (2)  students who reside in the attendance area of the school;                                          
10                 (3)  all other applicants.                                                                              
11    * Sec. 6. AS 14.17.470 is amended to read:                                                                         
12            Sec. 14.17.470. Base student allocation. Except as provided in (b) of this                               
13       section, the [THE] base student allocation is $5,680.                                                         
14    * Sec. 7. AS 14.17.470 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                              
15            (b)  The base student allocation for a charter school shall be adjusted by adding                            
16       10 percent of the amount of the base student allocation under (a) of this section to the                          
17       base student allocation for the charter school.                                                                   
18    * Sec. 8. Section 3, ch. 91, SLA 2010, is repealed.