This bill amends the Code of West Virginia to enhance access for public charter schools to unused public facilities. It mandates that county school systems publish an annual list of closed, unused, or unoccupied buildings on a publicly available website. Once a public charter school requests to use a facility, the county board or public entity is prohibited from selling or making the facility unavailable to prevent the charter school from utilizing it. Additionally, the bill stipulates that the county board must provide sufficient time, not exceeding two years, for the charter school to obtain approval for its application and any necessary renovations.

Furthermore, the bill clarifies that if a charter school's application is denied, the county board is not obligated to hold the building for future applications. In cases where the charter school cannot operate, the authorizer is required to release the building back to the county board or public entity. The bill also specifies that any lease costs for the facility must be at or below current market value, and the charter school will be responsible for direct expenses related to the lease, while the county school board retains responsibility for any pre-existing debts or liens on the building.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 18-5G-12