House Study Bill 242 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE _____
BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE
ON EDUCATION BILL BY
CHAIRPERSON HITE)
A BILL FOR
1 An Act modifying and establishing charter school programs.
2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 256E.1 Establishment of charter
2 schools —— purpose.
3 1. Charter schools shall be part of the state’s program of
4 public education.
5 2. A charter school may be established by either of the
6 following methods:
7 a. A school board may create a founding group to apply
8 to the state board for approval to establish and operate a
9 charter school within and as a part of the school district by
10 establishing a new attendance center, creating a new school
11 within an existing attendance center, or by converting an
12 existing attendance center to charter status.
13 b. A founding group may apply to the state board for
14 approval to establish and operate a charter school within the
15 boundaries of the state that operates as a new attendance
16 center independently from a public school district.
17 3. The purpose of a charter school established pursuant to
18 this chapter shall be to accomplish the following:
19 a. Improve student learning, well-being, and postsecondary
20 success.
21 b. Increase learning opportunities for students in areas
22 of need in this state, including but not limited to science,
23 technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and science,
24 technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM).
25 c. Increase opportunities for work-based learning, early
26 literacy intervention, and serving at-risk populations.
27 d. Accelerating student learning to prevent learning loss
28 during the COVID-19 pandemic and other significant disruptions
29 to student learning.
30 e. Encourage the use of evidence-based practices in
31 innovative environments.
32 f. Require the measurement and evaluation of program
33 implementation and learning outcomes.
34 g. Establish models of success for Iowa schools.
35 h. Create new professional opportunities for teachers and
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1 other educators.
2 i. Investigate and establish different organizational
3 structures for schools to use to implement a multi-tiered
4 system of supports for students.
5 j. Allow greater flexibility to meet the education needs of
6 a diverse student population and changing workforce needs.
7 k. Allow for the flexible allocation of resources through
8 implementation of specialized school budgets for the benefit
9 of the schools served.
10 l. Allow greater flexibility for districts and schools to
11 focus on closing gaps in student opportunity and achievement
12 for all students from preschool through postsecondary
13 preparation.
14 4. The state board of education shall be the only authorizer
15 of charter schools under this chapter.
16 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 256E.2 Definitions.
17 As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise
18 requires:
19 1. “Attendance center” means a school building that contains
20 classrooms used for instructional purposes for elementary,
21 middle, or secondary school students.
22 2. “Charter school” means a school established in accordance
23 with this chapter.
24 3. “Department” means the department of education.
25 4. “Education service provider” means an education
26 management organization, charter school management
27 organization, or other person with whom a charter school
28 contracts for educational program implementation or
29 comprehensive management.
30 5. “Founding group” means a person, group of persons,
31 or education service provider that develops and submits an
32 application for a charter school to the state board under this
33 chapter.
34 6. “Governing board” means the independent board of a
35 charter school whose members are elected or selected pursuant
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1 to the charter school contract.
2 7. “School board” means a board of directors regularly
3 elected by the registered voters of an accredited public school
4 district.
5 8. “State board” means the state board of education.
6 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 256E.3 Department —— duty to monitor.
7 The department shall monitor the effectiveness of charter
8 schools and shall implement the applicable provisions of this
9 chapter.
10 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION. 256E.4 School board-state board model.
11 1. A school board may create a founding group to apply
12 to the state board for approval to establish and operate a
13 charter school within and as a part of the school district by
14 establishing a new attendance center, creating a new school
15 within an existing attendance center, or by converting an
16 existing attendance center. The application shall demonstrate
17 the founding group’s academic and operational vision and plans
18 for the proposed charter school, demonstrate the founding
19 group’s capacity to execute the vision and plans, and provide
20 the state board a clear basis for assessing the founding
21 group’s plans and capacity.
22 2. The state board shall adopt rules to establish
23 appropriate application timelines and deadlines for the
24 submission of charter school applications under this section.
25 3. The instructions for completing an application shall
26 include or otherwise inform applicants of all of the following:
27 a. The performance framework adopted by the state board
28 for charter school oversight and evaluation requirements in
29 accordance with sections 256E.9 and 256E.10.
30 b. The criteria the state board will use in evaluating
31 applications.
32 c. The requirements concerning the format and content
33 essential for applicants to demonstrate the capacities
34 necessary to establish and operate a successful charter school.
35 4. An application submitted under this section shall also
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1 include all of the following items related to the proposed
2 charter school:
3 a. An executive summary.
4 b. The mission and vision of the proposed charter school,
5 including identification of the targeted student population and
6 the community the charter school intends to serve.
7 c. The location of the proposed charter school or the
8 proposed geographic area within the school district where the
9 school is proposed to be located.
10 d. Identification of the grades to be served each school
11 year during the duration of the charter school contract.
12 e. Minimum, planned, and maximum enrollment per grade for
13 each school year during the duration of the charter school
14 contract.
15 f. Evidence of need and community support for the proposed
16 charter school.
17 g. Background information on the members of the founding
18 group and background information on the governing board,
19 administration, and management personnel of the proposed
20 charter school, if available.
21 h. The charter school’s proposed operations calendar and
22 sample daily schedule.
23 i. A description of the academic program and identification
24 of ways the program aligns with state academic standards.
25 j. A description of the charter school’s instructional
26 model, including the type of learning environment, class size
27 and structure, curriculum overview, and teaching methods.
28 k. The charter school’s plan for using internal and external
29 assessments to measure and report student progress on the
30 performance framework in accordance with section 256E.9.
31 l. Plans for identifying and serving students with
32 disabilities, students who are limited English proficient,
33 students who are academically failing or below grade level, and
34 gifted students, including but not limited to compliance with
35 applicable laws and regulations.
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1 m. A description of cocurricular and extracurricular
2 programs and how the programs will be funded and delivered.
3 n. Plans and timelines for student recruitment, enrollment,
4 and transfers, including enrollment preferences and procedures
5 for conducting transparent admissions selections, including
6 admissions lotteries.
7 o. The proposed code of student conduct, including
8 applicable procedures and disciplinary sanctions for both
9 general students and special education students.
10 p. A chart or description of the charter school’s
11 organizational structure and the duties and powers of each
12 position or group, including the delineation of authority and
13 reporting between the governing board, administration, staff,
14 and any related bodies or external organizations that have a
15 role in managing the charter school.
16 q. A staffing chart for the charter school’s first year
17 and a staffing plan for the duration of the charter school
18 contract.
19 r. Plans for recruiting and developing school
20 administrators, staff, and governing board members and the
21 charter school’s employment policies, including performance
22 evaluation plans.
23 s. Proposed governing bylaws for the charter school.
24 t. Identification and explanation of any partnerships or
25 contractual relationships with the founding group or any of the
26 founding group or school board’s members that are related to
27 the charter school’s operations or mission.
28 u. The charter school’s plans for providing transportation
29 services, food service, and all other operational or ancillary
30 services.
31 v. Proposed opportunities and expectations for parent
32 involvement.
33 w. A detailed school start-up plan and five-year plan,
34 including all relevant assumptions used, identifying timelines
35 for charter school finances, budget, and insurance coverage,
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1 facility construction, preparation, and contingencies, and the
2 identification of persons or positions responsible for each
3 such item.
4 x. Evidence of anticipated fundraising contributions, if
5 any.
6 y. Evidence of the founding group’s success in serving
7 student populations similar to that which is proposed in the
8 application and if the founding group operates other charter
9 schools, evidence of past performance of such other charter
10 schools and evidence of the founding group’s capacity for an
11 additional charter school.
12 z. A description of the charter school governing board’s
13 performance evaluation measures, compensation structure,
14 methods of contract oversight and dispute resolution,
15 investment disclosures and conflicts of interest.
16 aa. A proposed duration and outline of the charter school
17 contract, including designation of roles, authority, and duties
18 of the governing board and the charter school staff.
19 5. If the founding group proposes to establish a charter
20 school by converting an existing attendance center of the
21 school district, the state board shall not approve the
22 application unless the founding group submits evidence that
23 the attendance center’s teachers and parents or guardians of
24 students enrolled at the existing attendance center voted in
25 favor of the conversion. A vote in favor of conversion under
26 this subsection requires the support of a majority of the
27 teachers employed at the school on the date of the vote and
28 a majority of the parents or guardians voting whose children
29 are enrolled at the school, provided that a majority of the
30 parents or guardians eligible to vote participate in the ballot
31 process. The state board shall establish procedures by rule
32 for voting under this subsection. A parent or guardian voting
33 in accordance with this subsection must be a resident of this
34 state.
35 6. In reviewing and evaluating charter school applications,
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1 the state board shall employ procedures, practices, and
2 criteria consistent with nationally recognized principles and
3 standards for reviewing charter school applications. Each
4 application review shall include thorough evaluation of the
5 written application, an in-person interview with the founding
6 group, and an opportunity in a public forum for local residents
7 to learn about and provide input on each application.
8 7. Following review of a charter school application and
9 completion of the process required under subsection 6, the
10 state board shall do all of the following:
11 a. Approve a charter school application only if the founding
12 group has demonstrated competence in each element of the
13 approval criteria and if the founding group is likely to open
14 and operate a successful charter school.
15 b. Make application decisions on documented evidence
16 collected through the application review process.
17 c. Adhere to the policies and criteria that are transparent,
18 based on merit, and avoid conflicts of interest or any
19 appearance thereof.
20 8. The state board shall approve a charter school
21 application if the application satisfies the requirements of
22 this chapter. The state board shall approve or deny a charter
23 school application no later than seventy-five calendar days
24 after the application is received. If the state board denies
25 an application, the state board shall provide notice of denial
26 to the founding group in writing within thirty days after the
27 state board’s action. The notice shall specify the exact
28 reasons for denial and provide documentation supporting those
29 reasons. An approval decision may include, if appropriate,
30 reasonable conditions that the founding group must meet before
31 a charter school contract may be executed pursuant to section
32 256E.6. An approved charter application shall not serve as a
33 charter school contract.
34 9. A decision of the state board relating to an application
35 under this section is not appealable.
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1 10. An unsuccessful applicant under this section may
2 subsequently reapply to the state board.
3 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION. 256E.5 Founding group-state board
4 model.
5 1. A founding group may apply to the state board for
6 approval to establish and operate a charter school within the
7 boundaries of the state that operates as a new attendance
8 center independently from a public school district. The
9 application shall demonstrate the founding group’s academic
10 and operational vision and plans for the proposed charter
11 school, demonstrate the founding group’s capacity to execute
12 the vision and plans, and provide the state board a clear basis
13 for assessing the founding group’s plans and capacity.
14 2. The state board shall adopt rules to establish
15 appropriate application timelines and deadlines for the
16 submission of charter school applications under this section.
17 3. The instructions for completing an application shall
18 include or otherwise inform applicants of all of the following:
19 a. The performance framework adopted by the state board
20 for charter school oversight and evaluation requirements in
21 accordance with sections 256E.9 and 256E.10.
22 b. The criteria the state board will use in evaluating
23 applications.
24 c. The requirements concerning the format and content
25 essential for applicants to demonstrate the capacities
26 necessary to establish and operate a successful charter school.
27 4. The applications submitted under this section shall also
28 include all of the following items related to the proposed
29 charter school:
30 a. An executive summary.
31 b. The mission and vision of the proposed charter school,
32 including identification of the targeted student population and
33 the community the school intends to serve.
34 c. The location of the proposed charter school or the
35 proposed geographic area within the state where the school is
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1 proposed to