House Bill 2256 amends various sections of the Tennessee Code Annotated related to public charter schools. Notably, it introduces a provision allowing a public charter school authorized by the commission and the local board of education to mutually agree, within thirty days of authorization, that the local board will serve as the authorizer and local education agency (LEA) for the charter school. This agreement must be documented and filed with the commission, but it does not apply to charter schools that have had their agreements renewed on appeal by the commission. Additionally, the bill specifies that the term of a renewed charter agreement must be ten academic years if approved by a local board, and between five to ten academic years if approved by the commission.

The bill also makes several changes to the language in existing law, such as replacing "A charter agreement" with "An initial charter agreement" and modifying the phrasing in subsections regarding the renewal of charter agreements. These changes aim to clarify the terms and conditions under which charter schools operate and are renewed, ensuring consistency across the relevant sections of the law. The act is set to take effect upon becoming law, emphasizing the importance of public welfare in its implementation.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 49-13-108(b)(5)(E), 49-13-108, 49-13-110(b)(1), 49-13-110, 49-13-110(c), 49-13-121(g), 49-13-121, 49-13-121(f)(3), 49-13-121(l)