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H.B. 344 Enrolled

             1     

ESTABLISHMENT OF CHARTER SCHOOLS AMENDMENTS

             2     
2013 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: David E. Lifferth

             5     
Senate Sponsor: Howard A. Stephenson

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill modifies provisions regarding applying for and approving the establishment of
             10      a charter school.
             11      Highlighted Provisions:
             12          This bill:
             13          .    requires the State Charter School Board to request applications to establish a charter
             14      school that employs new and creative methods to meet the unique learning styles
             15      and needs of students, such as a:
             16              .    military charter school;
             17              .    charter school whose mission is to enhance learning opportunities for students at
             18      risk of academic failure;
             19              .    charter school whose focus is career and technical education;
             20              .    single gender charter school; or
             21              .    charter school with an international focus that provides opportunities for the
             22      exchange of students or teachers with foreign schools;
             23          .    requires the State Charter School Board to request applications to establish other
             24      charter schools that meet the unique learning styles and needs of students;
             25          .    addresses procedures for applying for and approving a charter school;
             26          .    modifies provisions regarding the appropriation of funds for, or authorization of, an
             27      increase in enrollment capacity of charter schools by the Legislature; and
             28          .    makes technical amendments.
             29      Money Appropriated in this Bill:


             30          None
             31      Other Special Clauses:
             32          None
             33      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             34      AMENDS:
             35          53A-1a-502.5, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2012, Chapters 139 and 414
             36      ENACTS:
             37          53A-1a-501.9, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             38     
             39      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             40          Section 1. Section 53A-1a-501.9 is enacted to read:
             41          53A-1a-501.9. State Charter School Board to request applications for certain
             42      types of charter schools.
             43          (1) To meet the unique learning styles and needs of students, the State Charter School
             44      Board shall seek to expand the types of instructional methods and programs offered by schools,
             45      as provided in this section.
             46          (2) (a) The State Charter School Board shall request individuals, groups of individuals,
             47      or not-for-profit legal entities to submit an application to the State Charter School Board to
             48      establish a charter school that employs new and creative methods to meet the unique learning
             49      styles and needs of students, such as:
             50          (i) a military charter school;
             51          (ii) a charter school whose mission is to enhance learning opportunities for students at
             52      risk of academic failure;
             53          (iii) a charter school whose focus is career and technical education;
             54          (iv) a single gender charter school; or
             55          (v) a charter school with an international focus that provides opportunities for the
             56      exchange of students or teachers.
             57          (b) In addition to a charter school identified in Subsection (2)(a), the State Charter


             58      School Board shall request applications for other types of charter schools that meet the unique
             59      learning styles and needs of students.
             60          (3) The State Charter School Board shall publicize a request for applications to
             61      establish a charter school specified in Subsection (2).
             62          (4) A charter school application submitted pursuant to Subsection (2) shall be subject
             63      to the application and approval procedures specified in Section 53A-1a-505 .
             64          (5) The State Charter School Board and the State Board of Education may approve one
             65      or more applications for each charter school specified in Subsection (2), subject to the
             66      Legislature appropriating funds for, or authorizing, an increase in charter school enrollment
             67      capacity as provided in Section 53A-1a-502.5 .
             68          (6) The State Board of Education shall submit a request to the Legislature to
             69      appropriate funds for, or authorize, the enrollment of students in charter schools tentatively
             70      approved under this section.
             71          Section 2. Section 53A-1a-502.5 is amended to read:
             72           53A-1a-502.5. Approval of increase in charter school enrollment capacity.
             73          (1) For the purposes of this section, "next school year" means the school year that
             74      begins on or after the July 1 immediately following the end of a general session of the
             75      Legislature.
             76          [(1) (a)] (2) The State Board of Education may approve an increase in charter school
             77      enrollment capacity in the 2012-13 school year or thereafter subject to the Legislature:
             78          (a) appropriating funds for [the] an increase in charter school enrollment capacity[.] in
             79      the next school year; or
             80          [(b) A charter school shall submit a request for an increase in enrollment capacity
             81      pursuant to Subsection (2)(a) on or before October 1 of the school year for which the increase
             82      in enrollment capacity is requested.]
             83          (b) authorizing an increase in charter school enrollment capacity in the school year
             84      immediately following the next school year.
             85          (3) In appropriating funds for, or authorizing, an increase in charter school enrollment


             86      capacity, the Legislature shall provide a separate appropriation or authorization of enrollment
             87      capacity for a charter school proposed and approved in response to a request for applications
             88      issued under Section 53A-1a-501.9 .
             89          [(2)] (4) (a) A charter school may annually submit a request to the State Board of
             90      Education for an increase in enrollment capacity in the amount of .25 times the number of
             91      students in grades 9 through 12 enrolled in an online course in the previous school year through
             92      the Statewide Online Education Program.
             93          (b) A charter school shall submit a request for an increase in enrollment capacity
             94      pursuant to Subsection (4)(a) on or before October 1 of the school year for which the increase
             95      in enrollment capacity is requested.
             96          [(b)] (c) The State Board of Education shall approve a request for an increase in
             97      enrollment capacity made under Subsection [(2)] (4)(a) subject to the availability of sufficient
             98      funds appropriated under Section 53A-1a-513 to provide the full amount of the per student
             99      allocation for each charter school student in the state to supplement school district property tax
             100      revenues.
             101          [(c)] (d) An increase in enrollment capacity approved under Subsection [(2)(b)] (4)(c)
             102      shall be a permanent increase in the charter school's enrollment capacity.
             103          [(3)] (5) (a) If the Legislature does not appropriate funds for an increase in charter
             104      school enrollment capacity that is tentatively approved by the State Board of Education, the
             105      State Board of Education shall prioritize the tentatively approved schools and expansions based
             106      on approved funds.
             107          (b) A charter school or expansion that is tentatively approved, but not funded, shall be
             108      considered to be tentatively approved for the next application year and receive priority status
             109      for available funding.


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