This bill proposes significant updates to the current statutes governing charter schools in Arizona, focusing on enhancing accountability, transparency, and governance. Key new compliance requirements include mandates for charter schools to adhere to open meeting and public records laws by posting notices, agendas, and minutes on their and the state board's websites. Additionally, charter schools must develop emergency response plans in collaboration with local law enforcement, ensuring these plans accommodate communication with students with disabilities. The bill also establishes new governance structures for charter holder governing boards, requiring at least three members and limiting the number of immediate family members serving simultaneously. Furthermore, the bill introduces financial transparency measures such as annual independent audits and public disclosure of detailed financial information. It prohibits charter schools from contracting with for-profit organizations to establish new schools starting January 1, 2027, and imposes stricter procurement policies to mitigate conflicts of interest. The bill also mandates timely reporting of pupil withdrawals or transfers to the Department of Education. In terms of auditing and procurement processes, the bill establishes criteria for acceptable auditors and requires audits to be completed for each charter entity, while removing references to nonexempt charter schools to streamline procurement rules. Overall, these updates aim to improve the operational integrity of Arizona's charter school system under the new title, the "Charter School Transparency and Accountability Act."

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 15-154.02, 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, 15-154, 15-341, 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, 15-914, 11-952.01, 41-621.01, 41-1092.08, 3-365, 15-808, 15-771, 15-421, 10-140, 10-801, 10-840, 10-3140, 10-3840, 29-301, 29-1001, 29-3102, 29-4101, 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