RÉSUMÉ DIGEST
ACT 351 (HB 694) 2015 Regular Session Abramson
Existing law requires that local school boards make available to chartering groups any school
facilities that are vacant or slated to be vacant for lease or purchase up to fair market value.
Relative to the conversion of certain existing schools, existing law provides that the facility
and all property within the existing school shall be made available to that chartering group
and in exchange, the chartering group shall pay a proportionate share of the local school
board's bonded indebtedness. If such facilities were constructed at no cost to the local school
board, then such facilities, including all equipment, books, instructional materials, and
furniture within such facilities, shall be provided to the charter school at no cost. Existing
law further provides that if a chartering group determines that a facility or property that was
purchased from the Orleans Parish School Board is no longer needed for an educational
purpose, the group shall first offer to sell the facility or property back to the Orleans Parish
School Board prior to seeking to dispose of it to any other person or entity.
New law adds the following relative to the Orleans Parish School Board:
(1)That the existing law requirement that it make available for purchase or lease any
immovable property that it owns and that is vacant or slated to be vacant applies to
improved and unimproved property.
(2)A chartering group shall offer right of first refusal to the school board to buy back
such purchased property including unimproved property.
(3)Property to be sold back to the school board shall be sold for an amount up to the
previously paid purchase price, plus an amount up to the fair market value of
improvements paid for by the chartering group from nonpublic funds.
Effective August 1, 2015.
(Amends R.S. 17:3982(B)(2))