SPONSOR: Douglas
This bill requires any charter school established on or after August 28, 2025, to apply for a certificate of need with the State Board of Education (SBE). A certificate of need is only required for proposed charter schools that are not established prior to August 28, 2025, and are not required for charter renewals or transfers of sponsorship. The bill must not be construed to exempt charter schools from state laws governing charter contracts or any other applicable state or federal law or regulation.
The certificate of need application must be a written certification, including supporting documentation, submitted by the governing board of the school district or the governing body of the city or county in which the proposed charter school would be operated, affirming that certain conditions apply to the school district in which the charter school would be operated as specified in the bill.
The State Board of Education must review each charter school certificate of need application and either approve or disapprove each application within 120 calendar days of receipt and provide to the applicant written documentation of the reasons why the application was not approved if that is the determination.
This bill is the same as SB 177 (2025).
Statutes affected: