HB245 Alabama 2017 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Terri CollinsRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2017

Title

Schools, Alabama School Choice and Student Opportunity Act, appointing authorities for memberships on commission revised, State Dept. of Ed. to annually publish list of registered authorizers, statewide deadlines on timeline provided further, authorizers permitted to encourage proposals with specific approach or theme, execution time for charter contract extended from 60 to 120 days, operational funding provisions revised, Secs. 16-6F-6, 16-6F-7, 16-6F-10 am'd.

Summary

HB245 would reorganize Alabama's charter school governance, add annual lists of local authorizers, extend contract timelines, and revise how charter schools are funded and overseen.

What This Bill Does

It shifts appointment of the Alabama Public Charter School Commission members to the top state officials and allows the commission to hire staff. It requires the State Department of Education to publish annually a list of registered local charter authorizers and lets applicants apply directly to the commission if their district isn’t listed. It adds deadlines for local authorizer applications, lets authorizers encourage proposals with a specific academic approach or theme, and extends the charter contract execution window from 60 to 120 days. It revises operational funding for charter schools, including monthly transfers of state and local funds, per-student funding that mirrors funding to resident districts, and oversight fees for local authorizers based on the number of charters. It strengthens accountability and oversight, with department reviews of authorizers and mechanisms to revoke or transfer charter contracts if necessary.

Who It Affects

• Local school boards that act as charter authorizers would need to register with the state, participate in authorizing processes, and manage updated timelines and reporting; they may also receive oversight funding based on the number of charters they oversee.
• Public charter schools and their operators (including education service providers) would face longer contract negotiations (now up to 120 days), revised funding flows (monthly transfers of state and local funds, per-student funding aligned with the district for residents), and enhanced contract and oversight requirements.

Key Provisions

• 10 members of the Alabama Public Charter School Commission would be appointed by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and Speaker of the House (removing the previous appointment process through the State Board of Education).
• The Commission would be authorized to employ necessary staff.
• The State Department of Education must annually publish a list of registered local authorizers; applicants may apply directly to the commission if their district is not listed.
• A statewide timeline for local authorizer applications would be established with deadlines; authorizers may encourage proposals that include a specific academic approach or theme.
• Charter contracts between an authorizer and a public charter school would be executed within 120 days (up from 60 days) and may include preopening requirements.
• Operational funding for public charter schools would be revised to include monthly transfers of state and local funds, per-student funding equal to what would have gone to the resident district, and oversight fees for local authorizers based on the number of charters they oversee.
• A cap on start-up public charter schools would limit approvals to 10 per fiscal year, with oversight and performance reporting requirements and a mechanism to transfer contracts if an authorizer loses authority.
• Authorizers must follow nationally recognized standards for charter authorizing; there would be annual reporting, oversight, and potential remedies if standards are not met.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Education