CSHB 101(FIN): "An Act relating to charter schools; and providing for an effective date."
00 CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 101(FIN) 01 "An Act relating to charter schools; and providing for an effective date." 02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 * Section 1. AS 14.03.250(a) is amended to read: 04 (a) A charter school may be established as provided under AS 14.03.250 - 05 14.03.290 upon the approval of the local school board and the state Board of 06 Education and Early Development of an application for a charter school. The state 07 Board of Education and Early Development may not approve more than 60 [30] 08 charter schools to operate in the state at any one time [AND SHALL APPROVE 09 CHARTER SCHOOLS IN A GEOGRAPHICALLY BALANCED MANNER AS 10 FOLLOWS: NOT MORE THAN 10 SCHOOLS IN ANCHORAGE; NOT MORE 11 THAN FIVE SCHOOLS IN FAIRBANKS; NOT MORE THAN THREE SCHOOLS 12 IN THE MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH; NOT MORE THAN THREE 13 SCHOOLS IN THE KENAI PENINSULA BOROUGH; NOT MORE THAN TWO 14 SCHOOLS IN THE CITY AND BOROUGH OF JUNEAU; NOT MORE THAN 15 SEVEN SCHOOLS LOCATED IN OTHER AREAS OF THE STATE, AND THESE
01 SEVEN SCHOOLS SHALL BE ALLOCATED AS NEARLY AS POSSIBLE IN A 02 GEOGRAPHICALLY BALANCED MANNER THROUGHOUT THE REST OF 03 THE STATE]. 04 * Sec. 2. AS 14.03.255(a) is amended to read: 05 (a) A charter school operates as a school in the local school district except that 06 the charter school (1) is exempt from the local school district's textbook, program, 07 curriculum, and scheduling requirements; (2) is exempt from AS 14.14.130(c); the 08 principal of the charter school shall be selected by the academic policy committee and 09 shall select, appoint, or otherwise supervise employees of the charter school; and (3) 10 operates under the charter school's annual program budget as set out in the contract 11 between the local school board and the charter school under (c) of this section. A 12 local school board may exempt a charter school from other local school district 13 requirements if the exemption is set out in the contract. A charter school is subject 14 to secondary school competency testing as provided in AS 14.03.075 and other 15 competency tests required by the department. 16 * Sec. 3. AS 14.03.255(c) is amended to read: 17 (c) A charter school shall operate under a contract between the charter school 18 and the local school board. A contract must contain the following provisions: 19 (1) a description of the educational program; 20 (2) specific levels of achievement for the education program; 21 (3) admission policies and procedures; 22 (4) administrative policies; 23 (5) a statement of the charter school's funding allocation from the local 24 school board and costs assignable to the charter school program budget; 25 (6) the method by which the charter school will account for receipts 26 and expenditures; 27 (7) the location and description of the facility; 28 (8) the name of the teacher, or teachers, who, by agreement between 29 the charter school and the teacher, will teach in the charter school; 30 (9) the teacher-to-student ratio; 31 (10) the number of students served;
01 (11) the term of the contract, not to exceed a term of 10 [FIVE] years; 02 (12) a termination clause providing that the contract may be terminated 03 by the local school board for the failure of the charter school to meet educational 04 achievement goals or fiscal management standards, or for other good cause; 05 (13) a statement that the charter school will comply with all state and 06 federal requirements for receipt and use of public money; 07 (14) other requirements or exemptions agreed upon by the charter 08 school and the local school board. 09 * Sec. 4. AS 14.03.255(d) is amended to read: 10 (d) A charter school may be operated in an existing school district facility or 11 in a facility within the school district that is not currently being used as a public 12 school, if the chief school administrator determines the facility meets requirements for 13 health and safety applicable to public buildings or other public schools in the district. 14 * Sec. 5. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read: 15 Sec. 14.03.263. Charter school grant program. (a) A charter school may 16 receive a one-time grant from the department equal to the amount of $500 for each 17 pupil enrolled in the charter school on October 1 of the year in which the school 18 applies for the grant. The charter school shall use a grant received under this 19 subsection to provide educational services. In this subsection, "educational services" 20 includes curriculum development, program development, and special education 21 services. 22 (b) The department shall establish by regulation procedures for application for 23 and expenditure of grant funds under (a) of this section. 24 (c) If the amount appropriated in a fiscal year for the charter school grant 25 program is insufficient to meet the amounts authorized under (a) of this section, the 26 department shall reduce pro rata each pupil's grant by the necessary percentage as 27 determined by the department. 28 * Sec. 6. AS 14.03.275 is amended to read: 29 Sec. 14.03.275. Contracts; duration. A contract for a charter school may be 30 for a term of no more than 10 [FIVE] years [AND MAY NOT EXTEND BEYOND 31 JULY 1, 2005].
01 * Sec. 7. AS 14.17.905 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 02 (b) Notwithstanding (a)(3) of this section, a charter school shall be counted as 03 a separate school if the charter school has an ADM of at least 150 students. 04 * Sec. 8. Section 9, ch. 77, SLA 1995, is repealed. 05 * Sec. 9. This Act takes effect July 1, 2001.