House
File
160
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
160
BY
SHIPLEY
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
approval
of
a
charter
school
application
by
1
the
boards
of
directors
of
a
school
district.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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160
Section
1.
Section
256F.3,
subsection
2,
paragraph
a,
Code
1
2019,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
a.
To
receive
approval
by
the
state
board
under
section
3
256F.5
to
establish
a
charter
school
in
accordance
with
this
4
chapter
,
the
principal,
teachers,
or
parents
or
guardians
5
of
students
at
an
existing
public
school
shall
submit
an
6
application
to
the
school
board
to
convert
an
existing
7
attendance
center
to
a
charter
school.
An
attendance
center
8
shall
not
enter
into
a
charter
school
contract
with
a
school
9
district
under
this
chapter
unless
the
attendance
center
is
10
located
within
the
school
district.
The
application
shall
11
demonstrate
the
support
of
at
least
fifty
percent
of
the
12
teachers
employed
at
the
school
on
the
date
of
the
submission
13
of
the
application
and
fifty
percent
of
the
parents
or
14
guardians
voting
whose
children
are
enrolled
at
the
school,
15
provided
that
a
majority
of
the
parents
or
guardians
eligible
16
to
vote
participate
in
the
ballot
process,
according
to
17
procedures
established
by
rules
of
the
state
board.
18
Sec.
2.
Section
256F.3,
subsections
4
and
5,
Code
2019,
are
19
amended
to
read
as
follows:
20
4.
A
school
board
shall
by
a
majority
vote
approve
or
deny
21
an
application
relating
to
establish
a
charter
school
,
if
the
22
application
meets
the
requirements
of
subsection
2,
paragraph
23
“a”
,
no
later
than
sixty
calendar
days
after
the
application
24
is
received.
An
application
approved
by
a
school
board
and
25
subsequently
approved
by
the
state
board
pursuant
to
subsection
26
6
shall
constitute,
at
a
minimum,
an
agreement
between
the
27
school
board
and
the
charter
school
for
the
operation
of
the
28
charter
school.
A
school
board
that
denies
an
application
for
29
a
conversion
to
a
charter
school
shall
provide
notice
of
denial
30
to
the
applicant
in
writing
within
thirty
days
after
board
31
action.
The
notice
shall
specify
the
exact
reasons
for
denial
32
and
provide
documentation
supporting
those
reasons.
33
5.
An
applicant
may
appeal
the
failure
of
a
school
34
board
denial
of
to
submit
the
applicant’s
charter
school
35
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160
application
to
the
state
board
in
accordance
with
the
as
1
provided
in
subsection
4
by
utilizing
the
procedures
set
2
forth
in
chapter
290
.
The
state
board
shall
affirm,
modify,
3
or
reverse
the
school
board’s
decision
on
the
basis
of
the
4
information
provided
in
the
application
indicating
the
ability
5
and
willingness
of
the
proposed
charter
school
to
meet
the
6
requirements
of
section
256F.1,
subsection
3
2
,
and
section
7
256F.4
paragraph
“a”
.
8
EXPLANATION
9
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
10
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
11
This
bill
eliminates
a
school
district’s
authority
to
12
deny
an
application
to
convert
an
existing
school
district
13
attendance
center
to
a
charter
school
but
requires
instead
14
that
the
school
board
review
and
submit
to
the
state
board
of
15
education
an
application
that
meets
current
Code
requirements,
16
and
allows
the
applicant
to
appeal
to
the
state
board
a
school
17
board’s
failure
to
submit
the
application
to
the
state
board.
18
The
bill
makes
corresponding
changes.
19
Current
Code
provisions
requiring
that
the
application
be
20
submitted
by
the
principal,
teachers,
or
parents
or
guardians
21
of
students
at
an
existing
public
school
attendance
center
22
located
within
the
school
district;
that
the
application
23
demonstrate
the
support
of
at
least
50
percent
of
the
teachers
24
and
50
percent
of
the
parents
or
guardians
voting
whose
25
children
are
enrolled
at
the
school;
and
that
authorize
the
26
state
board
of
education
to
approve
or
deny
such
application,
27
remain
unchanged
by
the
bill.
28
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