Mississippi House Bill HB460

Mississippi 2024 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/23/24
• Refer: 1/23/24
• Failed: 3/5/24

Caption

Charter schools; require MAEP funds to be transferred to student's home school district when student disenrolls.

Impact

By mandating these funding transfers, HB 460 has the potential to stabilize the financial ramifications of student enrollment shifts between charter schools and traditional public schools. This measure seeks to protect the funding streams for home school districts and create a standardized approach to handling educational funding that corresponds with actual student enrollment. Further, it seeks to ensure that charter schools are held accountable for their financial dealings with local districts.

Summary

House Bill 460 aims to amend Section 37-28-55 of the Mississippi Code to establish that charter schools are required to transfer a proportionate amount of adequate education program funding to a student's home school district upon the student's disenrollment from the charter school. This requirement seeks to ensure that local school districts do not lose significant funding when students leave charter schools partway through the academic year. The bill emphasizes fiscal balance, particularly for districts that may experience a decrease in enrollment due to student transfers to charter schools.

Contention

The introduction of this bill could prompt discussions on the operational autonomy of charter schools in Mississippi. Proponents of the bill may argue that it protects local school district funding, thereby preserving resources for students who remain enrolled in traditional public schools. However, opponents could contend that such requirements might hinder the flexibility and funding independence that charter schools require to function effectively. This tension between local control and charter autonomy is likely to be a point of contention as the bill progresses through the legislative process.