SB484 Alabama 2010 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Steve French

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2010

Title

Public K-12 education, responsibilities of state and local boards of education and schools, authorizers, and charter schools provided for, application process and renewal, revocation and closure of schools as public schools, application of existing law and exemptions from provided, Innovative Charter Schools Act

Description

This bill is the Alabama Innovative Charter Schools Act.

This bill would provide for the creation of charter schools authorized by registered local school boards and the State Board of Education under certain conditions.

This bill would establish the process by which local school boards may register as authorizers of charter schools.

This bill would establish the processes by which a charter contract may be approved, renewed, and revoked.

This bill would prohibit private schools from applying to become a charter school or converting to charter school status.

This bill would require that charter contracts contain certain accountability provisions and that authorizers continually monitor the performance and compliance of charter schools.

This bill would provide for the organization of a charter school, enrollment of students, employer requirements, and a minimum number of instructional days.

This bill would generally relieve charter schools from the requirements of state education statutes while requiring them to follow laws related to civil rights, health, safety, state content standards, accountability and student assessment, competitive bidding, open meetings, and open records.

This bill would provide for the funding of charter schools and require an annual independent audit.

This bill would provide for the acquisition and use of facilities and require that charter schools follow the same building codes as other public schools.

This bill would require the State Board of Education to promulgate rules and regulations to implement this act.

Amendment 621 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, now appearing as Section 111.05 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended, prohibits a general law whose purpose or effect would be to require a new or increased expenditure of local funds from becoming effective with regard to a local governmental entity without enactment by a 2/3 vote unless: it comes within one of a number of specified exceptions; it is approved by the affected entity; or the Legislature appropriates funds, or provides a local source of revenue, to the entity for the purpose.

The purpose or effect of this bill would be to require a new or increased expenditure of local funds within the meaning of the amendment. However, the bill does not require approval of a local governmental entity or enactment by a 2/3 vote to become effective because it comes within one of the specified exceptions contained in the amendment.

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Subjects

Education