HLS 15RS-186 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 21
BY REPRESENTATIVE EDWARDS
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
SCHOOLS/CHARTER: Prohibits the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
from authorizing charter schools under certain circumstances
1 AN ACT
2To amend and reenact R.S. 17:3981(2), relative to charter schools; to provide relative to the
3 approval of proposed charter schools by the State Board of Elementary and
4 Secondary Education; to provide for prohibitions, conditions, and exceptions relative
5 to such approval; and to provide for related matters.
6Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 17:3981(2) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
8 ยง3981. State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education; powers and duties
9 relative to charter schools
10 The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall:
11 * * *
12 (2)(a) Enter into any proposed charter that complies with this Chapter and
13 the rules adopted pursuant to the authority in this Chapter that the board determines
14 is a valid, complete, financially well-structured, and educationally sound proposal
15 that offers potential for fulfilling the purposes of this Chapter.
16 (b)(i) However, except as provided in Item (ii) of this Subparagraph, the
17 state board shall not enter into a proposed charter if the proposed school would be
18 located in a school system that, in its most recent evaluation under the school and
19 district accountability system, received a letter grade designation of "A" or "B" or
20 any variation thereof and the school board that governs the local school system
21 previously denied or placed conditions on the same or a substantially similar
22 proposal.
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 15RS-186 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 21
1 (ii) The state board may enter into a proposed charter in a school system as
2 specified in Item (i) of this Subparagraph if the proposal seeks to convert a
3 preexisting school that, in its most recent evaluation under the school and district
4 accountability system, received a letter grade designation of "F" or any variation
5 thereof or seeks to create a school that would predominantly enroll students with
6 exceptionalities as defined in R.S. 17:1942(B), except gifted or talented students.
7 * * *
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))
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.