DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part of
the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of
the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
Edwards HB No. 703
Abstract: Prohibits the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) from
authorizing certain charter schools that the local school board previously denied or placed
conditions on.
Present law, relative to charter schools, authorizes various groups to form a nonprofit corporation
for the purpose of proposing a charter; provides for submission of the proposed charter to the
local school board or to BESE.
Present law provides that each proposal for a Type 1 or Type 3 charter school shall first be made
to the local school board with jurisdiction where the school is to be located by submitting a
written proposal. If the local school board denies the proposal, or if conditions placed on the
proposal by the local school board are not acceptable to the chartering group, then the proposal
may be submitted to BESE.
Present law provides that BESE shall enter into any proposed charter that it determines is a valid,
complete, financially well-structured, and educationally sound proposal that offers potential for
fulfilling the purposes of present law. Proposed law retains present law but prohibits BESE from
entering into a proposed charter if the proposed school would be located in a school system that,
in its most recent evaluation under the accountability system, received a designation of "A", "B",
or "C" and the school board that governs the local school system previously denied or placed
conditions on the same or a substantially similar proposal.
(Amends R.S. 17:3981(2))