Missouri HB 1941: Modifies provisions relating to charter schools

Bill Text

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 1941
102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE TOALSON REISCH.
4693H.01I DANA RADEMAN MILLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To repeal sections 160.400 and 160.415, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof two new sections
relating to charter schools.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Sections 160.400 and 160.415, RSMo, are repealed and two new sections
2 enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 160.400 and 160.415, to read as follows:
160.400. 1. A charter school is an independent public school.
2 2. Except as further provided in subsection 4 of this section, charter schools may be
3 operated only:
4 (1) In a metropolitan school district;
5 (2) In an urban school district containing most or all of a city with a population
6 greater than three hundred fifty thousand inhabitants;
7 (3) In a school district that has been classified as unaccredited by the state board of
8 education;
9 (4) In a school district that has been classified as provisionally accredited by the state
10 board of education and has received scores on its annual performance report consistent with a
11 classification of provisionally accredited or unaccredited for three consecutive school years
12 beginning with the 2012-13 accreditation year under the following conditions:
13 (a) The eligibility for charter schools of any school district whose provisional
14 accreditation is based in whole or in part on financial stress as defined in sections 161.520 to
15 161.529, or on financial hardship as defined by rule of the state board of education, shall be
16 decidedbyavoteofthestateboardofeducationduringthethirdconsecutiveschoolyearafter
17 the designation of provisional accreditation; and
EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law. Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.

18 (b) The sponsor is limited to the local school board or a sponsor who has met the
19 standards of accountability and performance as determined by the department based on
20 sections 160.400 to 160.425 and section 167.349 and properly promulgated rules of the
21 department; [or]
22 (5) In a school district that hasbeen accredited without provisions, sponsored onlyby
23 the local school board; provided that no board with a current year enrollment of one thousand
24 five hundred fifty students or greater shall permit more than thirty-five percent of its student
25 enrollmenttoenrollincharterschoolssponsoredbythelocalboardundertheauthorityofthis
26 subdivision, except that this restriction shall not apply to any school district that subsequently
27 becomes eligible under subdivision (3) or (4) of this subsection or to any district accredited
28 without provisions that sponsors charter schools prior to having a current year student
29 enrollment of one thousand five hundred fifty students or greater; or
30 (6) In a school district containing a majority of a city with more than one
31 hundred twenty-five thousand but fewer than one hundred sixty thousand inhabitants.
32 3. Except as further provided in subsection 4 of this section, the following entities are
33 eligible to sponsor charter schools:
34 (1) The school board of the district in any district which is sponsoring a charter
35 schoolas of August 27, 2012,as permittedunder subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection2 ofthis
36 section, the special administrative board of a metropolitan school district during any time in
37 whichpowersgrantedtothedistrict'sboardofeducationarevestedinaspecialadministrative
38 board, or if the state board of education appoints a special administrative board to retain the
39 authority granted to the board of education of an urban school district containing most or all
40 of a city with a population greater than three hundred fifty thousand inhabitants, the special
41 administrative board of such school district;
42 (2) A public four-year college or university with an approved teacher education
43 program that meets regional or national standards of accreditation;
44 (3) A community college, the service area of which encompasses some portion of the
45 district;
46 (4) Any private four-year college or university with an enrollment of at least one
47 thousand students, with its primary campus in Missouri, and with an approved teacher
48 preparation program;
49 (5) Any two-year private vocational or technical school designated as a 501(c)(3)
50 nonprofit organization under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and accredited
51 by the Higher Learning Commission, with its primary campus in Missouri;
52 (6) The Missouri charter public school commission created in section 160.425.
HB 1941 2

53 4. Changesinaschooldistrict'saccreditationstatusthataffectcharterschoolsshallbe
54 addressed as follows, except for the districts described in subdivisions (1) [and], (2), and (6)
55 of subsection 2 of