2004 Legislation
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SENATE BILL NO. 1362 – Charter schools/admission procedure

SENATE BILL NO. 1362

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Bill Status



S1362..........................................................by EDUCATION
CHARTER SCHOOLS - Amends existing law to provide that a description of
admission procedures in a petition for a charter school may allow for
reservation of ten percent of available capacity in each grade for children
of specified persons; to require that any lottery shall be conducted by a
third party; to provide that the public school attendance alternative for
students who choose not to attend a charter school in the district applies
only to petitions to convert an existing school; to provide that a petition
for a charter school which is not a multidistrict electronic charter
school, shall contain a description of the attendance area; and to define
attendance area.
                                                                        
02/16    Senate intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/17    Rpt prt - to Educ

Bill Text


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ]]]]              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ]]]]
 Fifty-seventh Legislature                 Second Regular Session - 2004
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                       IN THE SENATE
                                                                        
                                    SENATE BILL NO. 1362
                                                                        
                                   BY EDUCATION COMMITTEE
                                                                        
  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS; AMENDING SECTION 33-5205, IDAHO  CODE,  TO
  3        PROVIDE  THAT  A  DESCRIPTION  OF ADMISSION PROCEDURES IN A PETITION FOR A
  4        CHARTER SCHOOL MAY ALLOW FOR  RESERVATION  OF  TEN  PERCENT  OF  AVAILABLE
  5        CAPACITY  IN EACH GRADE FOR CHILDREN OF SPECIFIED PERSONS, TO REQUIRE THAT
  6        ANY LOTTERY SHALL BE CONDUCTED BY A THIRD PARTY, TO PROVIDE THAT THE  PUB-
  7        LIC  SCHOOL ATTENDANCE ALTERNATIVE FOR STUDENTS WHO CHOOSE NOT TO ATTEND A
  8        CHARTER SCHOOL IN THE DISTRICT APPLIES ONLY TO  PETITIONS  TO  CONVERT  AN
  9        EXISTING  SCHOOL,   TO PROVIDE THAT A PETITION FOR A CHARTER SCHOOL, NOT A
 10        MULTIDISTRICT ELECTRONIC CHARTER SCHOOL, SHALL CONTAIN  A  DESCRIPTION  OF
 11        THE ATTENDANCE AREA AND TO DEFINE ATTENDANCE AREA.
                                                                        
 12    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
                                                                        
 13        SECTION  1.  That  Section 33-5205, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
 14    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 15        33-5205.  PETITION TO ESTABLISH CHARTER SCHOOL. (1) Any person may request
 16    the board of trustees of a school district to establish a charter  school,  or
 17    to  convert an existing school within the school district to charter status. A
 18    petition to convert an existing school shall be  submitted  to  the  board  of
 19    trustees  of the district for review after the petition has been signed by not
 20    less than sixty percent (60%) of the teachers currently employed by the school
 21    district at the school to be converted, and by one  (1)  or  more  parents  or
 22    guardians  of  not  less  than  sixty  percent (60%) of the students currently
 23    attending the school to be converted. A petition to establish  a  new  charter
 24    school  shall be submitted to the board of trustees of the district for review
 25    after the petition has been signed by not  less  than  thirty  (30)  qualified
 26    electors of the district.
 27        (2)  Not  later than thirty (30) days after receiving a petition signed in
 28    accordance with the specifications in subsection  (1)  of  this  section,  the
 29    board  of  trustees shall hold a meeting open to the public for the purpose of
 30    discussing the provisions of the charter, at which time the board  shall  con-
 31    sider  the  merits of the petition and the level of employee and parental sup-
 32    port for the petition. Following review of the petition and the  public  hear-
 33    ing, the board of trustees shall either grant or deny the charter within sixty
 34    (60)  days  of receipt of the petition, provided however, that the date may be
 35    extended by an additional sixty (60) days if the petition fails  to  meet  the
 36    signature  requirements or fails to contain all of the information required in
 37    this section, or if both parties agree to the extension.
 38        (3)  A board of trustees may grant a charter for  operation  of  a  school
 39    under  the  provisions of this chapter if it determines that the petition con-
 40    tains the number of signatures required, a statement of each of the conditions
 41    described in subsection (4) of this section, and descriptions of  all  of  the
 42    following:
 43        (a)  The  educational  program of the charter school, designed among other
                                                                        
                                           2
                                                                        
  1        things, to identify what it means  to  be  an  "educated  person"  in  the
  2        twenty-first  century,  and how learning best occurs. The goals identified
  3        in the program shall include how all educational thoroughness standards as
  4        defined in section 33-1612, Idaho Code, shall be fulfilled.
  5        (b)  The measurable student educational standards identified  for  use  by
  6        the  charter  school.  "Student  educational standards" for the purpose of
  7        this chapter means the extent to which all students of the charter  school
  8        demonstrate  they  have  attained  the  skills  and knowledge specified as
  9        goals in the school's educational program.
 10        (c)  The method by which student progress in meeting those student  educa-
 11        tional standards is to be measured.
 12        (d)  A  provision  by  which students of the charter school will be tested
 13        with the same standardized tests as other Idaho public school students.
 14        (e)  A provision which ensures that the  charter  school  shall  be  state
 15        accredited as provided by rule of the state board of education.
 16        (f)  The  governance  structure  of  the charter school including, but not
 17        limited to, the person or entity who shall be legally accountable for  the
 18        operation  of  the  school,  and the process to be followed by the charter
 19        school to ensure parental involvement.
 20        (g)  The qualifications to be met by individuals employed by  the  charter
 21        school.  Instructional staff shall be certified teachers, or may apply for
 22        a waiver or any of the limited certification options as provided  by  rule
 23        of the state board of education.
 24        (h)  The  procedures  that  the  charter  school will follow to ensure the
 25        health and safety of students and staff.
 26        (i)  Admission procedures, including provision for overenrollment. Initial
 27        admission procedures for a new charter school, not  a  renewal,  including
 28        may provide that not more than ten percent (10%) of the available capacity
 29        in each grade may be reserved for the children of charter school founders,
 30        members  of  the  board of directors and full-time employees. The petition
 31        shall describe its provisions for overenrollment,  which  specifies  shall
 32        specify  that  admission for positions not reserved for children of found-
 33        ers, directors and full-time charter school employees will  be  determined
 34        by  lottery or other random method. If initial capacity is insufficient to
 35        enroll all pupils who submit a timely  application,  preference  shall  be
 36        given  in  the  following  order:  first,  to  siblings  of pupils already
 37        selected by the lottery or other random method; and second,  an  equitable
 38        selection  process  such as by lottery or other random method. If capacity
 39        is insufficient to enroll all pupils for subsequent school terms, who sub-
 40        mit a timely application, preference  shall  be  given  in  the  following
 41        order:  first,  to pupils returning to the charter school in the second or
 42        any subsequent year of  its  operation;  second,  to  siblings  of  pupils
 43        already  enrolled in the charter school; and third, an equitable selection
 44        process such as by lottery or other random method. The petition shall pro-
 45        vide that any lottery conducted pursuant to this  section  shall  be  con-
 46        ducted  by  a  third party chosen mutually by the chartering authority and
 47        the charter school.
 48        (j)  The manner in which an annual audit of the financial and programmatic
 49        operations of the charter school is to be conducted.
 50        (k)  The procedures by which  students  can  be  suspended,  expelled  and
 51        reenrolled.
 52        (l)  A  provision  which  ensures  all staff members of the charter school
 53        will be covered by the public employee retirement system,  federal  social
 54        security, unemployment insurance and worker's compensation insurance.
 55        (m)  The public school attendance alternative for students residing within
                                                                        
                                           3
                                                                        
  1        the  school  district  who  choose not to attend the charter school if the
  2        proposed charter school is a conversion of an existing school  to  charter
  3        status.
  4        (n)  A description of the transfer rights of any employee choosing to work
  5        in a charter school and the rights of such employees to return to any non-
  6        charter  school  in  the  school  district  after  employment at a charter
  7        school.
  8        (o)  A provision which ensures that the staff of the charter school  shall
  9        be considered a separate unit for purposes of collective bargaining.
 10        (p)  The  procedures  to  be followed by the charter school and the entity
 11        granting the charter to resolve disputes relating  to  provisions  of  the
 12        charter.
 13        (q)  The  manner  by  which special education services will be provided to
 14        students with disabilities who are eligible pursuant to the federal  indi-
 15        viduals with disabilities education act.
 16        (r)  The  manner  by which eligible students from the charter school shall
 17        be allowed to participate in dual enrollment in noncharter schools  within
 18        the district as provided for in chapter 2, title 33, Idaho Code.
 19        (s)  Attendance  area  of  a  school,  excluding  multidistrict electronic
 20        charter schools. The attendance area of a charter school which  is  not  a
 21        multidistrict  electronic  charter  school,  shall be circumscribed by the
 22        boundaries of the authorizing school district and shall include  the  area
 23        entirely  encompassed within the boundaries of the authorizing school dis-
 24        trict. The attendance area shall be a single unit, and no neighborhoods or
 25        homes within the area shall be excluded. Admission preference as described
 26        in section 33-5206, Idaho Code, shall be given to students residing in the
 27        attendance area.
 28        (4)  The petitioner shall provide information regarding the proposed oper-
 29    ation and potential effects of the school including, but not limited  to,  the
 30    facilities  to  be  utilized by the school, the manner in which administrative
 31    services of the school are to be provided and the  potential  civil  liability
 32    effects upon the school and upon the district.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


                     STATEMENT OF PURPOSE 
                            RS 14107
Currently, charter schools may not extend an admission preference to children of
the individuals who initiate and organize charter schools.  Because these parents are not
guaranteed that their children will be selected to attend the charter school, there is less of
an incentive to organize and seek the approval of new charter schools.  The proposed
amendments would allow up to ten percent (10%) of the available capacity in each grade
to be reserved for the children of charter school founders, board members, and
employees, thereby giving an incentive to parents to organize charter schools, while not
significantly affecting the total enrollment of the school or unfairly excluding potential
students.

The proposed amendments also would provide for random lotteries, in the case of
over-enrollment, to be conducted by a third party, thereby protecting the charter school
from allegations by disgruntled individuals that the charter school may have improperly
influenced the selection of students.

Additionally, the proposed amendments also clarify that charter school
petitioners only have to describe an attendance alternative for students not wishing to
attend the charter school if the petition is for the conversion of an existing public school
to charter status.  

Finally, the proposed amendments would provide that all future charter schools,
except for electronic multidistrict charter schools, will have primary attendance areas
only within the approving school districts, and that their proposed attendance areas must
be contiguous rather than excluding certain neighborhoods or homes within that
attendance area.  Students who reside outside the primary attendance area may be
allowed to attend the charter school under current law.


                          FISCAL IMPACT

There is no fiscal impact on the state general fund.
    

Contact
Name:     Bob West, Idaho State Department of Education
Phone:    332-6812
Name:     Don Robertson, Idaho State Department of Education
Phone:    332-6812                                                       S 1362