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)]
HB 21 Original 2015 Regular Session Edwards
Abstract: Prohibits the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) from
authorizing charter schools under certain circumstances.
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" or "B" and the school board that governs the
local school system previously denied or placed conditions on the same or a substantially similar
proposal.
Proposed law provides for an exception to proposed law prohibition with respect to proposals that
seek to convert a preexisting school that received a designation of "F" or that seek to create a school
that would predominantly enroll students with exceptionalities as defined in present law except
gifted or talented students.
(Amends R.S. 17:3981(2))