S.B. No. 605 amends the Education Code to streamline the process for certain charter holders to establish new open-enrollment charter school campuses and expand existing ones. Specifically, the bill allows charter holders with an accreditation status of "accredited" and a significant portion of their student population meeting specific criteria to establish new campuses without needing prior approval from the commissioner. The new requirements include that the charter holder must have received high performance ratings for three of the last five years and must not be subject to certain actions by the commissioner. Additionally, the charter holder must provide written notice to the commissioner regarding the establishment of new campuses.

The bill also introduces a provision that prohibits the commissioner from approving expansion amendments for charter holders or campuses currently under specific actions described in Section 39A.002(7) or (8). The changes made by this Act will only apply to new campuses established or requests for expansion submitted after the effective date of September 1, 2025, ensuring that any prior requests or campuses will continue to be governed by the existing law at the time of their establishment.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Education Code 12.114 (Education Code 12)
Senate Committee Report: Education Code 12.114 (Education Code 12)
Engrossed: Education Code 12.114 (Education Code 12)