SB300 Alabama 2017 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Del Marsh

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

SB300 would overhaul Alabama's charter school system by restructuring the charter commission, expanding local authorizer roles, and changing funding and contract timelines for charter schools.

What This Bill Does

It changes who appoints the Alabama Public Charter School Commission members and lets the commission hire staff. It requires the Department of Education to publish annually a list of registered local authorizers and allows applicants to apply directly to the commission if their district isn’t listed; it also sets deadlines for statewide authorizer timelines and allows authorizers to encourage proposals with specific themes. It extends the charter contract execution window from 60 to 120 days and revises funding so state funds are forwarded monthly to charter schools, with local funds flowing under new rules and a cap on local funding for start-ups. It also allows the commission to overrule local school boards on charter decisions, creates an 11-member commission, and expands rules around start-up and conversion charters and ongoing oversight.

Who It Affects

• Local school boards and other local authorizers, who may register to authorize charter schools, oversee charter contracts, and receive authorizing funding; they could face new timelines, oversight responsibilities, and potential changes to how they interact with the charter system.
• Charter applicants and charter schools (including start-up and conversion charters), who face revised application processes, longer contract development timelines, revised funding flows (state and local), and new performance and reporting requirements.

Key Provisions

• The Alabama Public Charter School Commission becomes appointed by the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House, with an additional rotating member from the local district where a charter is proposed; the commission may hire staff.
• The State Department of Education must annually publish a list of registered local authorizers and applicants may apply directly to the commission if their district is not listed.
• A statewide timeline for local authorizer applications is established, with deadlines requiring decisions about charter approvals 12 months before a school opens.
• Authorizers may encourage proposals that include a specific academic approach or theme to address educational needs.
• Charter contracts must be executed within 60 to 120 days of charter approval, extending the prior maximum.
• Operational funding for charter schools is revised so state funds are forwarded monthly, and local funding arrangements are adjusted with per-student allocations tied to the student’s residence and subject to mutual agreement for additional funds.
• Caps are set on local funding for start-up charters (3% of per-student state allocations for 1-3 start-ups, 2% for 4-5, 1% for 6-10); conversion charters are not subject to this cap.
• The commission may overrule a local school board’s denial of a charter and serve as the authorizer for that school; local boards can register as authorizers or be bypassed if overruled.
• Start-up limits and reporting: up to 10 start-up charters allowed per fiscal year; conversion charters have no cap; authorizers must file annual public reports on performance and use of funds.
• If an authorizer’s chartering authority is revoked, the department oversees transferring contracts to another authorized body; authorizers must follow nationally recognized standards for quality charter authorizing.

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