Representative Elizabeth Weight proposes the following substitute bill:


1     
UTAH CHARTER SCHOOL PROFILE WEBSITE

2     
2017 GENERAL SESSION

3     
STATE OF UTAH

4     
Chief Sponsor: Elizabeth Weight

5     
Senate Sponsor: ____________

6     

7     LONG TITLE
8     General Description:
9          This bill requires a charter school to maintain certain profile information on the charter
10     school's website.
11     Highlighted Provisions:
12          This bill:
13          ▸     requires the State Board of Education to provide information about charter profile
14     websites;
15          ▸     requires a charter school to include profile information on the charter school's
16     website, including:
17               •     charter school employee benefits;
18               •     charter school finances;
19               •     a charter management organization affiliated with the charter school;
20               •     the charter school's mission statement;
21               •     whether the charter school's governing board has requested to place the charter
22     school in a voluntary school improvement process; and
23               •     other information; and
24          ▸     requires a charter school to include information about the profile website on an
25     enrollment application.

26     Money Appropriated in this Bill:
27          None
28     Other Special Clauses:
29          None
30     Utah Code Sections Affected:
31     ENACTS:
32          53A-1a-525, Utah Code Annotated 1953
33     

34     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
35          Section 1. Section 53A-1a-525 is enacted to read:
36          53A-1a-525. Utah charter school profile website.
37          (1) As used in this section:
38          (a) "Charter management organization" means a person with which a charter school
39     contracts to provide management or oversight services regarding the charter school's
40     expenditures, administration, personnel, or instructional materials or methods.
41          (b) "Charter school profile information" means the information described in Subsection
42     (3) that a charter school is required to publish on the charter school's profile website in
43     accordance with this section.
44          (c) "Profile website" means a website maintained and published by a charter school
45     displaying the charter school profile information required under this section.
46          (2) A charter school shall, in accordance with Subsection (4), maintain a profile
47     website.
48          (3) A profile website shall permit an individual to review or access the following
49     profile information for a charter school:
50          (a) the charter school's charter school application described in Section 53A-1a-504;
51          (b) the charter school's charter agreement described in Section 53A-1a-508;
52          (c) (i) the number of teachers employed by the charter school who are licensed; and
53          (ii) the number of teachers employed by the charter school on the basis of
54     demonstrated competency, qualified to teach under alternative certification or authorization
55     programs;
56          (d) whether the charter school has elected in accordance with Section 53A-1a-512 to

57     participate as an employer for the following retirement programs:
58          (i) Title 49, Chapter 12, Public Employees' Contributory Retirement Act;
59          (ii) Title 49, Chapter 13, Public Employees' Noncontributory Retirement Act; or
60          (iii) Title 49, Chapter 22, New Public Employees' Tier II Contributory Retirement Act;
61          (e) (i) whether under Section 53A-1a-512 the governing board of the charter has
62     offered employee benefit plans for the charter school employees under Title 49, Chapter 20,
63     Public Employees' Benefit and Insurance Program Act, or under any other program; and
64          (ii) if the governing board offers employee benefits in a program that is not described
65     in Title 49, Chapter 20, Public Employees' Benefit and Insurance Program Act, a statement that
66     the charter school as an employer does not offer those benefits;
67          (f) if the charter school receives a school grade under Chapter 1, Part 11, School
68     Grading Act, the charter school's grade and a link to school grading information on the State
69     Board of Education website;
70          (g) the number of students in the last five years or, if the charter has been open for
71     enrollment for fewer than five years, since the charter school opened for enrollment, who
72     transferred to another public or private school after attending the charter school for:
73          (i) less than one year;
74          (ii) one year;
75          (iii) two years; and
76          (iv) three years;
77          (h) (i) the charter school's mission statement; and
78          (ii) specific information on how the charter school implements the mission statement
79     and accomplishes mission statement objectives;
80          (i) (i) the name of a charter management organization, if any, that the charter school
81     contracts with and a reasonable description of the services that the charter management
82     organization provides; and
83          (ii) the percentage of the charter school's annual budget that is paid to the charter
84     management organization;
85          (j) (i) each time, if at all, the charter school's governing board has requested the charter
86     school's authorizer to place the charter school in a voluntary school improvement process
87     described in Section 53A-1a-509.5; and

88          (ii) if the charter school's governing board has made a request described in Subsection
89     (3)(j)(i), each year in which the governing board made the request and each time that the
90     charter school's authorizer granted the request;
91          (k) a link to the Utah Public Finance Website created in Section 63A-3-402 with an
92     explanation that information on charter school expenditures is available on the Utah Public
93     Finance Website;
94          (l) a copy of the charter school's most recent financial audit report as described in
95     Section 53A-1a-507; and
96          (m) whether the charter school requires a student's parent or guardian to volunteer time
97     in the classroom or otherwise for the parent or guardian's student to attend the charter school.
98          (4) No later than January 1, 2018, each charter school profile website shall:
99          (a) be operational;
100          (b) permit public access to the information described in Subsection (3); and
101          (c) be readily available via a hyperlink on a charter school's website homepage.
102          (5) No later than January 1, 2018, the State Board of Education shall publish and
103     maintain on the State Board of Education's website a page that:
104          (a) informs individuals that a charter school is required to maintain a profile website
105     that is available to the public; and
106          (b) lists in general the charter school profile information described in Subsection (3)
107     that an individual should be able to access on an individual charter school's profile website.
108          (6) (a) A charter school shall include on an enrollment application to the charter school
109     the following statement in easy-to-read font type and size: "The [name of charter school]
110     profile website provides profile information about this charter school, including information
111     about teachers employed by the charter school, charter school expenditures, charter school
112     agreements, and charter school student transfer rates to other schools."
113          (b) If the enrollment application is an electronic application, the charter school shall
114     include on the electronic application a hyperlink to the charter school's profile website.