OK
Oklahoma Senate Bill SB321

Oklahoma 2024 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB321 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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5353 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
5454
5555 1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023)
5656
5757 SENATE BILL 321 By: Seifried
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6363 AS INTRODUCED
6464
6565 An Act relating to charter schools; amen ding 70 O.S.
6666 2021, Section 3-132, as amended by Section 1, Chapter
6767 222, O.S.L. 2022 (70 O.S. Su pp. 2022, Section 3-132),
6868 which relates to charter school sponsorship; updating
6969 statutory language; adding sponsor; amending 70 O.S.
7070 2021, Section 3-134, as amended by Section 2, Chapter
7171 222, O.S.L. 2022 (70 O.S. Supp. 2022, Section 3 -134),
7272 which relates to charter sponsor proposals; adding
7373 sponsor; updating statutory reference; providing an
7474 effective date; and declaring an emergency.
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7979 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
8080 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 3-132, as
8181 amended by Section 1, Chapter 222, O.S.L. 2022 (70 O.S. Supp. 2022,
8282 Section 3-132), is amended to read as follows:
8383 Section 3-132. A. The Oklahoma Charter Schools Act shall apply
8484 only to charter schools formed and operated under the provisions of
8585 the act. Charter schools shall be sponsored only as follows:
8686 1. By any school district located in the State of Oklahoma this
8787 state, provided such charter school shall only be located within the
8888 geographical boundaries of the sponsor ing district and subject to
8989 the restrictions of Section 3-145.6 of this title;
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141141 2. By a technology center school district if the charter school
142142 is located in a school dis trict served by the technology center
143143 school district in which all or part of the scho ol district is
144144 located in a county having more than five hundred thousand (500,000)
145145 population according to the latest Federal Decennial Census;
146146 3. By a technology cente r school district if the charter school
147147 is located in a school district served by the technology center
148148 school district and the school district has a school site that has
149149 been identified as in need of improvement by the State Board of
150150 Education pursuant to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
151151 1965, as amended or reauthorized;
152152 4. By an accredited comprehensive or regional institution that
153153 is a member of The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education or a
154154 community college if the charter school is lo cated in a school
155155 district in which all or part of the school district is located in a
156156 county having more than five hundred tho usand (500,000) population
157157 according to the latest Federal Decennial Census;
158158 5. By a comprehensive or regional institution that is a member
159159 of The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education if the charter
160160 school is located in a school district that has a s chool site that
161161 has been identified as in need of improvement by the State Board of
162162 Education pursuant to the Elementary and Seco ndary Education Act of
163163 1965, as amended or reauthorized. In addition, the institution
164164 shall have a teacher education program a ccredited by the Oklahoma
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216216 Commission for Teacher Preparation Commission for Educational
217217 Quality and Accountability and have a branch campus or constituent
218218 agency physically located within the school district in which the
219219 charter school is located in the State of Oklahoma this state;
220220 6. By a federally recognized Indian tribe, operating a high
221221 school under the authority of the Bureau of Indian Affairs as of
222222 November 1, 2010, if the charter school is for the purpose of
223223 demonstrating native language immersion instruction, and is loca ted
224224 within its former reservation or trea ty area boundaries. For
225225 purposes of this paragraph, native language immersion instruction
226226 shall require that educational instruction and other activities
227227 conducted at the school site are primarily conducted in the native
228228 language;
229229 7. By the State Board o f Education when the applicant of the
230230 charter school is the Office of Juvenile Affairs or the applicant
231231 has a contract with the Office of Juvenile Affairs and the charter
232232 school is for the purpose of providing education services to youth
233233 in the custody or supervision of the state . Not more than two
234234 charter schools shall be spo nsored by the Board as provided fo r in
235235 this paragraph during the period of time b eginning July 1, 2010,
236236 through July 1, 2016;
237237 8. By a federally recognized Indian tribe only when the charter
238238 school is located within the former reservation or treaty area
239239 boundaries of the tribe on property held in trust by the Bureau of
240240
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291291 Indian Affairs of the United States Department of the Inte rior for
292292 the benefit of the tribe; or
293293 9. By a private institution of higher learning located within
294294 this state and accredited pursuant to Section 4103 of this title; or
295295 10. By the State Board of Education when the ap plicant has
296296 first been denied a charter by the l ocal school district in which it
297297 seeks to operate. In counties with fewer than f ive hundred thousand
298298 (500,000) population, according to the latest Federal Decennial
299299 Census, the State Board of Education shall not sponsor more than
300300 five charter schools per year each year for the first five (5) years
301301 after the effective date of this act August 21, 2015, with not more
302302 than one charter school spo nsored in a single school district per
303303 year. In order to authorize a charter school under this section,
304304 the State Board of Education shall find evidence of all of the
305305 following:
306306 a. a thorough and high-quality charter school application
307307 from the applicant based on the authorizing standards
308308 in subsection B of Section 3-134 of this title,
309309 b. a clear demonstration of community support for the
310310 charter school, and
311311 c. the grounds and basis of obje ction by the school
312312 district for denying the operation of the chart er are
313313 not supported by the greater weight of evidence and
314314 the strength of the application.
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366366 B. An eligible non-school-district sponsor shall give priority
367367 to opening charter schools that s erve at-risk student populations or
368368 students from low-performing traditional public schools.
369369 C. An eligible non-school-district sponsor shall give priority
370370 to applicants that have demonstrated a reco rd of operating at least
371371 one school or similar program t hat demonstrates academic success and
372372 organizational viability an d serves student populations similar to
373373 those the proposed charter school seeks to serve. In assessing the
374374 potential for quality repli cation of a charter school, a sponsor
375375 shall consider the following factors before approving a new site or
376376 school:
377377 1. Evidence of a strong and reliable record of academic success
378378 based primarily on student performance data, as well as other viable
379379 indicators, including financial and operational success;
380380 2. A sound, detailed, and well -supported growth plan;
381381 3. Evidence of the ability to transfer successful practices to
382382 a potentially different context that includes reproducing critical
383383 cultural, organizatio nal, and instructional characteristics;
384384 4. Any management organization involved i n a potential
385385 replication is fully vetted, and the academic, financial, and
386386 operational records of the schools it operates are found to be
387387 satisfactory;
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439439 5. Evidence the program seeking to be replicated has the
440440 capacity to do so suc cessfully without diminis hing or putting at
441441 risk its current operations; and
442442 6. A financial structure that ensures that funds attributable
443443 to each charter school within a network and required by law to be
444444 utilized by a school remain with and are used to b enefit that
445445 school.
446446 D. For purposes of the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act, “charter
447447 school” means a public school established by contract with a board
448448 of education of a school district, an area vocatio nal-technical
449449 school district, a higher education instit ution, a federally
450450 recognized Indian tribe, a private institution of higher learnin g,
451451 or the State Board of Education pursuant to the Oklahoma Charter
452452 Schools Act to provide learning that will improve student
453453 achievement and as defined in the Elementary and Secondary Education
454454 Act of 1965, 20 U.S. C. 8065.
455455 E. 1. For the purposes of the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act,
456456 “conversion school” means a school created by converting all or any
457457 part of a traditional public school in order to access any or all
458458 flexibilities afforded to a charter school.
459459 2. Prior to the board of educat ion of a school district
460460 converting all or any part of a traditional public school to a
461461 conversion school, the board shall prepare a conversion plan . The
462462 conversion plan shal l include documentation that demonstrates and
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514514 complies with paragraphs 1, 2, 6, 7 , 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17,
515515 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 34, and 35 of subsection B of Section 3-134
516516 of this title. The conversion plan and all documents shall be in
517517 writing and shall be available to the public pursuant to the
518518 requirements of the Oklahoma O pen Records Act. All votes by the
519519 board of education of a school district to approve a conversion pla n
520520 shall be held in an open public session . If the board of education
521521 of a school district votes to approve a conversion plan, th e board
522522 shall notify the State Board of Education within sixty (60) days
523523 after the vote. The notification shall include a copy of the
524524 minutes for the board meeting at which the conversion plan was
525525 approved.
526526 3. A conversion school shall comply with all th e same
527527 accountability measures as are required of a charter school as
528528 defined in subsection D of this section. The provisions of Sections
529529 3-140 and 3-142 of this title shall not apply to a conversion
530530 school. Conversion schools shall comply with the same laws and
531531 State Board of Education rules relating to student enrollment which
532532 apply to traditional public schools. Conversion schools shall be
533533 funded by the board of education of the school district a s a school
534534 site within the school district and funding s hall not be affected by
535535 the conversion of the school.
536536 4. The board of education of a school district may vote to
537537 revert a conversion school back to a traditional public school at
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589589 any time; provided, the change shall only occur during a break
590590 between school years.
591591 5. Unless otherwise provided for in this subsection, a
592592 conversion school shall retain the characteristics of a tradit ional
593593 public school.
594594 F. A charter school may consist of a new school sit e, new
595595 school sites, or all or any portion of an existing school site. An
596596 entire school district may not become a charter school site.
597597 SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 3 -134, as
598598 amended by Section 2, Chapter 222, O.S.L. 2022 (70 O.S. Supp. 2022,
599599 Section 3-134), is amended to read as follows:
600600 Section 3-134. A. For written applications fil ed after January
601601 1, 2008, prior to submission of the application to a proposed
602602 sponsor seeking to establish a charter school, the applicant shall
603603 be required to complete training which shall not exceed ten (10)
604604 hours provided by the State Department of Edu cation on the process
605605 and requirements for estab lishing a charter school. The Department
606606 shall develop and implement the training by January 1, 20 08. The
607607 Department may provide the training in any format and manner that
608608 the Department determines to be ef ficient and effective in cluding,
609609 but not limited to, web-based training.
610610 B. Except as otherwise provided for in Secti on 3-137 of this
611611 title, an applicant seeking to establish a charter school shall
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663663 submit a written applica tion to the proposed sponsor as p rescribed
664664 in subsection E of this section. The application shall include:
665665 1. A mission statement for the charter sch ool;
666666 2. A description includ ing, but not limited to, background
667667 information of the organizational struct ure and the governing body
668668 of the charter school;
669669 3. A financial plan for the fi rst five (5) years of operation
670670 of the charter school and a descripti on of the treasurer or other
671671 officers or persons who shall have primary responsibility for the
672672 finances of the charter school. Such person shall have demonstrated
673673 experience in school f inance or the equivalent thereof;
674674 4. A description of the hiring poli cy of the charter school;
675675 5. The name of the applicant or applicants and requested
676676 sponsor;
677677 6. A description of the facility and location of the charter
678678 school;
679679 7. A description of the grades being served;
680680 8. An outline of criteria designed to measure the effectiveness
681681 of the charter school;
682682 9. A demonstration of support for the charter school from
683683 residents of the school district which may include but is not
684684 limited to a survey of t he school district residents or a petition
685685 signed by residents of the school district;
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737737 10. Documentation that the applicants completed charter school
738738 training as set forth in subsection A of this section;
739739 11. A description of the m inimum and maximum enro llment planned
740740 per year for each term of the charter contract;
741741 12. The proposed calendar for the ch arter school and sample
742742 daily schedule;
743743 13. Unless otherwise authorized by law or regulation, a
744744 description of the academic program aligned with state stan dards;
745745 14. A description of the instructional design of the charter
746746 school, including the type of l earning environment, class size and
747747 structure, curriculum overview , and teaching methods;
748748 15. The plan for using internal and extern al assessments to
749749 measure and report student progress on the performance framework
750750 developed by the applicant in accordance with subsection C of
751751 Section 3-135 of this title;
752752 16. The plans for identif ying and successfully serving st udents
753753 with disabilities, students who are Engli sh language learners, and
754754 students who are academically behind;
755755 17. A description of cocurricular or extracurricular programs
756756 and how they will be funded and delivered;
757757 18. Plans and time lines for student recruitment and
758758 enrollment, including lottery pro cedures;
759759 19. The student discipline policies for the charter school ,
760760 including those for special ed ucation students;
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812812 20. An organizational chart that clearly presents the
813813 organizational structure of the charter school, including lines of
814814 authority and reporting between the governing board, staff, any
815815 related bodies such as advisory bodies or parent and teacher
816816 councils, and any external organizations that will play a role in
817817 managing the school;
818818 21. A clear description of the rol es and responsibilities fo r
819819 the governing board, the leadership and management team for the
820820 charter school, and any other entities shown in the organizational
821821 chart;
822822 22. The leadership and teacher emplo yment policies for the
823823 charter school;
824824 23. Proposed governing bylaws;
825825 24. Explanations of any partnerships or contractual
826826 partnerships central to t he operations or mission of th e charter
827827 school;
828828 25. The plans for providing transportation, food service , and
829829 all other significant operational or ancillary se rvices;
830830 26. Opportunities and expectations for parental involvement;
831831 27. A detailed school star t-up plan that identifies task s, time
832832 lines, and responsible individuals;
833833 28. A description of the financi al plan and policies for the
834834 charter school, including financial controls and audit requirements;
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886886 29. A description of the insurance coverage the cha rter school
887887 will obtain;
888888 30. Start-up and five-year budgets with clearly stated
889889 assumptions;
890890 31. Start-up and first-year cash-flow projections with clearly
891891 stated assumptions;
892892 32. Evidence of anticipated fundraising contributions, if
893893 claimed in the application;
894894 33. A sound facilities plan, including backup or contingency
895895 plans if appropriate;
896896 34. A requirement that the charter school governing board meet
897897 at a minimum quarterly in the state and that for those charter
898898 schools outside of counties with a p opulation of five hundred
899899 thousand (500,000) or more, that a majority of members are residents
900900 within the geographic boundary of the sponsoring entity; and
901901 35. A requirement that the charter school follow the
902902 requirements of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act and Oklahoma Open
903903 Records Act.
904904 C. A board of education of a public school district, public
905905 body, public or private college or university, private person, or
906906 private organization may contract with a sponsor to establish a
907907 charter school. A private school shall not be eligible to contr act
908908 for a charter school under the provisions of the Oklahoma Charter
909909 Schools Act.
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961961 D. The sponsor of a charter school is the bo ard of education of
962962 a school district, the board of education of a technology center
963963 school district, a higher education institu tion, a private
964964 institution of higher learning, the State Board of Education, or a
965965 federally recognized Indian tribe which meets the criteria
966966 established in Section 3 -132 of this title. Any board of education
967967 of a school district in the state may sponsor one or more charter
968968 schools. The physical location of a charter school spons ored by a
969969 board of education of a school district or a technology center
970970 school district shall be within the boundaries of the sponsoring
971971 school district. The physical location of a charter school
972972 otherwise sponsored by the State Board of Education pursuant to
973973 paragraph 8 10 of subsection A of Section 3 -132 of this title shall
974974 be in the school district in which the application origina ted.
975975 E. An applicant for a charter school may submit an application
976976 to a proposed sponsor which shall either accept or reject
977977 sponsorship of the chart er school within ninety (90) days of receipt
978978 of the application. If the proposed sponsor rejects the
979979 application, it shall notify the applicant in writing of the reasons
980980 for the rejection. The applicant may submit a revised application
981981 for reconsideration to the proposed sponso r within thirty (30) days
982982 after receiving notification of the rejection . The proposed sponsor
983983 shall accept or reject the revised application within thirty (30)
984984 days of its receipt. Should the sponsor reject the application on
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10361036 reconsideration, the applica nt may appeal the decision to the State
10371037 Board of Education with the revised appl ication for review pursuant
10381038 to paragraph 8 10 of subsection A of Section 3-132 of this title.
10391039 The State Board of Education shall hear the appeal no lat er than
10401040 sixty (60) days from the date received by the Board.
10411041 F. A board of education of a school district , board of
10421042 education of a technology center school district, higher education
10431043 institution, private institution of higher le arning, or federally
10441044 recognized Indian tribe sponsor of a charter school shall notify the
10451045 State Board of Education when it accepts sponsorship of a charter
10461046 school. The notification shall include a copy of the charter of the
10471047 charter school.
10481048 G. Applicants for charter schools proposed to be sponsored by
10491049 an entity other than a school district pursuant to paragra ph 1 of
10501050 subsection A of Section 3 -132 of this title may, upon rej ection of
10511051 the revised application, proceed to binding arbitration under the
10521052 commercial rules of the American Arbitration Association wit h costs
10531053 of the arbitration to be borne by the proposed sponsor. Applicants
10541054 for charter schools proposed to be sponsored by school districts
10551055 pursuant to paragraph 1 of subsection A of Section 3 -132 of this
10561056 title may not proceed to binding arbitration but m ay be sponsored by
10571057 the State Board of Education as prov ided in paragraph 8 10 of
10581058 subsection A of Section 3 -132 of this title.
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11101110 H. If a board of education of a technology center school
11111111 district, a higher ed ucation institution, a private institution of
11121112 higher learning, the State Board of Education, or a federally
11131113 recognized Indian tribe accepts sponsorship of a charter school, the
11141114 administrative, fiscal , and oversight responsibilities of the
11151115 technology center school district, the higher e ducation institution,
11161116 the private institution of higher learning, or the federally
11171117 recognized Indian tribe shall be listed in the contract . No
11181118 responsibilities shall be delegated to a school district unless the
11191119 local school district agrees to assume the responsibilities.
11201120 I. A sponsor of a public charter school sh all have the
11211121 following powers and duties:
11221122 1. Provide oversight of the operations of charter schools in
11231123 the state through annual performance reviews of charter school s and
11241124 reauthorization of charter schools for which it is a sponsor;
11251125 2. Solicit and evaluate charter applications;
11261126 3. Approve quality charter applications that meet identified
11271127 educational needs and promote a diversity of educational choices;
11281128 4. Decline to approve weak or inadequate charter applications;
11291129 5. Negotiate and execute sound charter contracts with each
11301130 approved public charter school;
11311131 6. Monitor, in accordance with charter contract term s, the
11321132 performance and legal compliance of charter school s; and
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11841184 7. Determine whether each charter contract merits renewal,
11851185 nonrenewal, or revocation.
11861186 J. Sponsors shall establish a procedure for accepting,
11871187 approving, and disapproving charter school applicat ions in
11881188 accordance with subsection E of this section.
11891189 K. Sponsors shall be required to develop and maintain
11901190 chartering policies and practices consist ent with recognized
11911191 principles and standards for quality charter authorizing as
11921192 established by the State D epartment of Education in all major areas
11931193 of authorizing responsibility, including organizational capacity and
11941194 infrastructure, soliciting and evaluati ng charter applications,
11951195 performance contracting, ongoing charter school oversight , and
11961196 evaluation and charter renewal decision-making.
11971197 L. Sponsors acting in t heir official capacity shall be immune
11981198 from civil and criminal liability with respect to all acti vities
11991199 related to a charter school with which they contract.
12001200 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2023.
12011201 SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
12021202 of the public peace, health , or safety, an emergency is hereby
12031203 declared to exist, by reason whereof thi s act shall take effect and
12041204 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
12051205
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