This bill proposes significant updates to the Arizona Revised Statutes concerning charter schools, enhancing transparency and accountability. Key changes include new compliance requirements for charter schools regarding open meeting and public records laws, which mandate that notices, agendas, and minutes of public meetings be posted on both the charter school's and the state board for charter schools' websites. Additionally, the bill prohibits charter school sponsors from contracting with for-profit organizations to establish charter schools starting January 1, 2026, and requires charter schools to conduct annual independent audits of their financial statements, making the results publicly available. Governance structures will also be modified to ensure that charter holder governing boards consist of at least three members, with restrictions on immediate family members serving simultaneously. Moreover, the bill introduces new definitions and clarifications, such as the inclusion of "charter school" alongside "school district" in various contexts, and removes outdated language that previously defined "nonexempt charter school". It mandates that both school districts and charter schools must post their spending profiles on their websites, enhancing transparency. The authority of the auditor general is also enhanced by allowing access to records and requiring participation in hearings related to audit findings, while establishing a framework for reviewing the implementation of audit recommendations. Overall, these updates aim to improve the governance and oversight of educational resources, formally titled the "Charter School Transparency and Accountability Act."

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 15-181, 15-183, 15-183.02, 15-184, 15-189.02, 15-189.03, 15-189.08, 15-213, 15-914.02, 41-1279.03, 41-1279.04, 15-185, 41-1750, 92-544, 15-505, 15-512, 41-1758.03, 114-95, 108-446, 15-550, 15-203, 15-741.01, 1-216, 15-341, 15-914, 11-952.01, 41-621.01, 41-1092.08, 3-365, 15-808, 15-154, 15-771, 15-421, 15-189.0, 11-255, 15-342, 15-382, 15-765, 41-2535, 41-2576, 41-2577, 41-2565, 41-2616, 15-914.01, 41-2631, 42-6106, 42-6107, 28-6392, 28-6533