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1 1 Section 1. Section 232.71B, subsection 6, Code 1999, is
1 2 amended to read as follows:
1 3 6. FACILITY OR SCHOOL VISIT. The assessment may include a
1 4 visit to a facility providing care to the child named in the
1 5 report or to any public or private school subject to the
1 6 authority of the department of education where the child named
1 7 in the report is located. The administrator of a facility, or
1 8 a public or private school shall cooperate with the child
1 9 protection worker by providing confidential access to the
1 10 child named in the report for the purpose of interviewing the
1 11 child, and shall allow the child protection worker
1 12 confidential access to other children for the purpose of
1 13 conducting interviews in order to obtain relevant information.
1 14 The child protection worker may observe a child named in a
1 15 report in accordance with the provisions of section 232.68,
1 16 subsection 3, paragraph "b". A witness shall be present
1 17 during an observation of a child. Any child aged ten years of
1 18 age or older can terminate contact with the child protection
1 19 worker by stating or indicating the child's wish to
1 20 discontinue the contact. The immunity granted by section
1 21 232.73 applies to acts or omissions in good faith of
1 22 administrators and their facilities, charter schools, or
1 23 school districts for cooperating in an assessment and allowing
1 24 confidential access to a child.
1 25 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 256F.1 TITLE.
1 26 This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Iowa
1 27 Charter School Act".
1 28 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 256F.2 PURPOSES.
1 29 It is the purpose of this chapter to provide a means to
1 30 revitalize education and continually do all of the following:
1 31 1. Improve student learning.
1 32 2. Increase the choice of learning opportunities for
1 33 students.
1 34 3. Require the measurement of learning outcomes and create
1 35 innovative measurement tools.
2 1 4. Establish new forms of accountability for schools.
2 2 5. Make the school the unit for improvement.
2 3 6. Create new professional opportunities for teachers,
2 4 including the opportunity to be responsible for the learning
2 5 program at the school site.
2 6 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION. 256F.3 DEFINITIONS.
2 7 As used in this chapter unless the context otherwise
2 8 requires:
2 9 1. "Department" means the department of education.
2 10 2. "Director" means the director of the department of
2 11 education.
2 12 3. "Sponsor" means a governmental body seeking to sponsor
2 13 or receiving approval to sponsor a charter school under this
2 14 chapter.
2 15 4. "State board" means the state board of education.
2 16 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION. 256F.4 APPLICABILITY.
2 17 This chapter applies only to charter schools organized and
2 18 operated under this chapter.
2 19 Sec. 6. NEW SECTION. 256F.5 ORGANIZATION OF CHARTER
2 20 SCHOOL UNDER STATE LAW.
2 21 A charter school shall be organized and operated as a
2 22 nonprofit association, nonprofit corporation, partnership,
2 23 limited partnership, business corporation, or as any other
2 24 group of individuals however organized under state law.
2 25 Sec. 7. NEW SECTION. 256F.6 ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION
2 26 OF CHARTER SCHOOL.
2 27 1. A city, county, school district, community college, an
2 28 institution of higher learning under the control of the state
2 29 board of regents, or a state body which is designated or
2 30 created by law by the general assembly to organize and operate
2 31 or oversee the operation of a charter school, may sponsor one
2 32 or more charter schools by filing an affidavit with the state
2 33 board stating its intent to organize and operate or oversee
2 34 the operation of a charter school. The affidavit shall state
2 35 the terms and conditions under which the sponsor pledges to
3 1 organize and operate or oversee the operation of a charter
3 2 school. The state board shall approve or disapprove a
3 3 sponsor's proposed sponsorship within ninety days of receipt
3 4 of an affidavit. Failure to obtain approval by the state
3 5 board precludes a sponsor from organizing and operating or
3 6 overseeing the operation of the charter school that was the
3 7 subject of the affidavit. A sponsor designated or created by
3 8 the general assembly to sponsor one or more charter schools is
3 9 exempt from this subsection.
3 10 2. A school district shall not sponsor a charter school
3 11 located in another school district unless the districts enter
3 12 into a chapter 28E agreement for the operation of the charter
3 13 school. The state board shall not approve more than ten
3 14 charter schools. The state board shall establish an order of
3 15 priority for the approval of charter schools which shall
3 16 accord greatest priority to areas of the state with the
3 17 greatest need for educational and sponsor diversity.
3 18 3. A sponsor may authorize one or more teachers licensed
3 19 under chapter 272 to operate a charter school.
3 20 4. A sponsor approved by the state board to organize and
3 21 operate or oversee the operation of a charter school, or
3 22 designated or created by the general assembly to organize and
3 23 operate or oversee the operation of a charter school shall
3 24 conduct an election for members of the charter school's board
3 25 of directors in a timely manner after the charter school
3 26 begins operation. Staff members employed by the charter
3 27 school, including teachers providing instruction under a
3 28 contract with the charter school and all parents of children
3 29 enrolled in the charter school, may vote in the election.
3 30 Licensed teachers employed by the charter school, including
3 31 teachers providing instruction under a contract with the
3 32 charter school, shall constitute a majority of the members of
3 33 the board of directors. A provisional board of directors may
3 34 operate before the election of the charter school's board of
3 35 directors. The board of directors is a governmental body for
4 1 purposes of chapter 21 and 22.
4 2 6. The approval by the state board of a sponsor shall not
4 3 be conditioned upon the bargaining unit status of the
4 4 employees of the charter school.
4 5 Sec. 8. NEW SECTION. 256F.7 CONVERSION OF EXISTING
4 6 SCHOOLS.
4 7 The board of directors of a school district may convert one
4 8 of its existing schools to a charter school under this chapter
4 9 if sixty percent of the full-time teachers at the school sign
4 10 a petition seeking conversion. The conversion must occur at
4 11 the beginning of an academic year.
4 12 Sec. 9. NEW SECTION. 256F.8 CONTRACT.
4 13 A sponsor's authorization for a charter school shall be
4 14 memorialized in a written contract executed by the sponsor and
4 15 the board of directors of the charter school. Within ninety
4 16 days of receiving authorization of the state board, the
4 17 contract for a charter school shall be complete and in writing
4 18 and contain, at a minimum, the following:
4 19 1. A description of a program that carries out one or more
4 20 of the purposes enumerated in section 256F.2.
4 21 2. Specific outcomes students are to achieve and the
4 22 method of measurement that will be used.
4 23 3. Admission policies and procedures.
4 24 4. A description of the management and administration of
4 25 the charter school.
4 26 5. Requirements and procedures for program and financial
4 27 audits.
4 28 6. A plan describing methods for complying with sections
4 29 256F.10, 256F.14, 256F.16, and 256F.22.
4 30 7. Assurance of the assumption of liability by the charter
4 31 school.
4 32 8. Types and amounts of insurance coverage to be obtained
4 33 by the charter school.
4 34 9. The term of the contract, which may be up to three
4 35 years.
5 1 10. If the board of directors or the operators of the
5 2 charter school provide special instruction and services for
5 3 children requiring special education under chapter 256B, a
5 4 description of the financial parameters within which the
5 5 charter school will operate to provide the special instruction
5 6 and services to children requiring special education.
5 7 11. The qualifications to be required of the professional
5 8 licensed staff.
5 9 12. Assurance that the school will comply with the
5 10 requirements of section 256.7, subsection 21.
5 11 Sec. 10. NEW SECTION. 256F.9 PUBLIC STATUS – EXEMPTION
5 12 FROM STATUTES AND RULES.
5 13 A charter school is a public school and is part of the
5 14 state's system of public education. However, except as
5 15 otherwise provided in this chapter, a charter school is exempt
5 16 from all statutes and rules applicable to a school or a school
5 17 district, although the charter school may elect to comply with
5 18 one or more provisions of statutes or rules.
5 19 Sec. 11. NEW SECTION. 256F.10 GENERAL OPERATING
5 20 REQUIREMENTS.
5 21 1. A charter school shall meet all applicable federal,
5 22 state, and local health and safety requirements.
5 23 2. A charter school shall be nonsectarian in its programs,
5 24 admission policies, employment practices, and all other
5 25 operations. A sponsor shall not organize or operate or
5 26 oversee the operation of a charter school or program that is
5 27 affiliated with a nonpublic sectarian school or a religious
5 28 institution.
5 29 3. A charter school shall not charge tuition.
5 30 4. A charter school is subject to and shall comply with
5 31 chapters 216 and 216A relating to civil and human rights.
5 32 5. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, a
5 33 charter school may, but shall not be required to, conform to
5 34 uniform state financial accounting and reporting standards and
5 35 processes, laws, and regulations governing school districts.
6 1 However, the sponsor of a charter school shall contract for an
6 2 annual financial audit by a certified public accountant in
6 3 accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The
6 4 audit shall examine the validity and integrity of data
6 5 reported to the state for state school foundation aid purposes
6 6 and internal controls of the charter school.
6 7 6. A charter school is a school district for the purposes
6 8 of tort liability under chapter 670.
6 9 7. A charter school shall not be used as a method of
6 10 providing education or generating revenue for students
6 11 receiving competent private instruction pursuant to chapter
6 12 299A.
6 13 Sec. 12. NEW SECTION. 256F.11 ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS.
6 14 1. A charter school may limit admission to any of the
6 15 following:
6 16 a. Students within an age group or grade level.
6 17 b. Students who are eligible to participate in an
6 18 alternative options education program under section 280.19A.
6 19 2. A charter school shall enroll an eligible student who
6 20 submits a timely application, unless the number of
6 21 applications exceeds the capacity of a program, class, grade
6 22 level, or building. In that case, students shall be accepted
6 23 by lot.
6 24 3. A charter school shall not limit admission to students
6 25 on the basis of intellectual ability, measures of achievement
6 26 or aptitude, or athletic ability.
6 27 4. A private school converting to charter school status
6 28 shall not give preference in admissions to prior students.
6 29 Sec. 13. NEW SECTION. 256F.12 EMPLOYMENT AND OTHER
6 30 OPERATING MATTERS.
6 31 1. A charter school shall employ or contract with
6 32 necessary teachers, as defined in section 272.1, who hold a
6 33 valid license with an endorsement for the type of service for
6 34 which the teacher is employed or who hold a license developed
6 35 and issued in accordance with section 272.2, subsection 13. A
7 1 charter school may employ necessary employees who are not
7 2 required to hold teaching licenses to perform duties other
7 3 than teaching and may contract for other services. A charter
7 4 school may discipline and discharge teachers and nonlicensed
7 5 employees in accordance with its own procedures. A person,
7 6 without holding a valid administrator's license, may perform
7 7 administrative, supervisory, or instructional leadership
7 8 duties for a charter school.
7 9 2. The board of directors of a charter school shall decide
7 10 matters related to the operation of the charter school,
7 11 including budgeting, curriculum, and operating procedures.
7 12 Sec. 14. NEW SECTION. 256F.13 STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL
7 13 EDUCATION NEEDS.
7 14 A charter school, as a public school, shall comply with
7 15 section 280.8 as though it were a school district. However,
7 16 the education of children requiring special education shall be
7 17 the financial responsibility of the school district of
7 18 residence.
7 19 Sec. 15. NEW SECTION. 256F.14 LENGTH OF SCHOOL YEAR.
7 20 A charter school shall provide instruction each year for at
7 21 least the number of days required by section 279.10,
7 22 subsection 1, unless the school provides instruction
7 23 throughout the year according to section 256.20 or section
7 24 279.10, subsection 3.
7 25 Sec. 16. NEW SECTION. 256F.15 REPORTS.
7 26 A charter school shall report at least annually to its
7 27 sponsor and the state board the information required by the
7 28 sponsor or the state board. The reports are public records
7 29 subject to chapter 22.
7 30 Sec. 17. NEW SECTION. 256F.16 TRANSPORTATION.
7 31 1. By July 1 of each year, a charter school shall notify
7 32 the school district in which the charter school is located and
7 33 the department if the charter school will provide
7 34 transportation for students enrolled at the charter school for
7 35 the fiscal year.
8 1 2. If a charter school elects to provide transportation
8 2 for students, the transportation shall be provided by the
8 3 charter school within the school district in which the charter
8 4 school is located. The state shall pay transportation aid to
8 5 the charter school according to section 285.1.
8 6 3. For students who reside outside the school district in
8 7 which the charter school is located, the charter school is not
8 8 required to provide or pay for transportation between the
8 9 student's residence and the boundary line of the school
8 10 district in which the charter school is located. A parent may
8 11 be reimbursed by the charter school for costs of
8 12 transportation from the student's residence to the boundary
8 13 line of the school district in which the charter school is
8 14 located if the student is from a family whose income is at or
8 15 below the poverty level, as defined by the most recently
8 16 revised poverty income guidelines published by the United
8 17 States department of health and human services. The
8 18 reimbursement shall be in the manner provided in section 285.3
8 19 for parental reimbursement for nonpublic school student
8 20 transportation.
8 21 4. At the time a student enrolls in a charter school, the
8 22 charter school shall provide the parent or guardian with
8 23 information regarding transportation.
8 24 5. If a charter school does not elect to provide
8 25 transportation, transportation for students enrolled at the
8 26 school shall be provided by the school district in which the
8 27 charter school is located, in the manner provided in section
8 28 285.1, subsection 15, for a student residing in the same
8 29 district in which a nonpublic school designated for attendance
8 30 is located. Transportation may be provided by the school
8 31 district in which the charter school is located for a student
8 32 residing in a different school district, in the same manner
8 33 provided for in section 285.1, subsection 16, for students
8 34 whose nonpublic school designated for attendance is located
8 35 outside the boundary line of the school district of the
9 1 student's residence.
9 2 Sec. 18. NEW SECTION. 256F.17 LEASED SPACE.
9 3 A charter school may lease space from a school district or
9 4 from a public, or private nonprofit, nonsectarian
9 5 organization. If a charter school is unable to lease
9 6 appropriate space from a school district or public or private
9 7 nonprofit, nonsectarian organization, the charter school may
9 8 lease space from another nonsectarian organization if the
9 9 department, in consultation with the department of management,
9 10 approves the lease. If the charter school is unable to lease
9 11 appropriate space from public or private nonsectarian
9 12 organizations, the charter school may lease space from a
9 13 sectarian organization if the leased space is constructed as a
9 14 school facility and the department, in consultation with the
9 15 department of management, approves the lease.
9 16 Sec. 19. NEW SECTION. 256F.18 AUTHORITY TO RAISE INITIAL
9 17 WORKING CAPITAL.
9 18 A sponsor may authorize a charter school to raise working
9 19 capital before the charter school has secured its space,
9 20 equipment, facilities, and personnel if the charter school
9 21 shows that such working capital is necessary for the charter
9 22 school to operate. A sponsor shall not authorize a charter
9 23 school to raise working capital prior to the sponsorship
9 24 receiving state board approval in accordance with section
9 25 256F.5.
9 26 Sec. 20. NEW SECTION. 256F.19 DISSEMINATE INFORMATION.
9 27 The department shall disseminate information to the public
9 28 on how to organize and operate a charter school and sponsors
9 29 and operators of charter schools shall disseminate information
9 30 on how to utilize the offerings of a charter school.
9 31 Particular groups to be targeted include low-income families
9 32 and communities and minority students.
9 33 Sec. 21. NEW SECTION. 256F.20 LEAVE TO TEACH IN A
9 34 CHARTER SCHOOL.
9 35 1. If a teacher employed by a school district makes a
10 1 written request for an extended leave of absence to teach at a
10 2 charter school, the school district shall grant the leave for
10 3 not more than five years. The school district may require
10 4 that the request for a leave be made up to ninety days before
10 5 the teacher would otherwise have to report for duty to the
10 6 school district. While on leave, the teacher shall retain the
10 7 teacher's seniority position and continue to receive benefits
10 8 received as an employee of the school district, except as
10 9 provided in subsection 2. The school district shall grant to
10 10 the teacher service credit for the teacher's teaching
10 11 experience at a charter school, provided the service at the
10 12 charter school is reasonably comparable to service in a school
10 13 district.
10 14 2. During a leave, the teacher may continue to aggregate
10 15 benefits and credits in the Iowa public employees' retirement
10 16 system if the teacher and the charter school or the state pay
10 17 the employee and employer contributions based upon the annual
10 18 salary of the teacher for the last full pay period before the
10 19 leave began. The Iowa public employees' retirement system may
10 20 impose reasonable requirements to efficiently administer this
10 21 section.
10 22 Sec. 22. NEW SECTION. 256F.21 TEACHER AND OTHER EMPLOYEE
10 23 RETIREMENT.
10 24 Teachers in a charter school shall be public school
10 25 employees for the purposes of chapter 97B.
10 26 Sec. 23. NEW SECTION. 256F.22 CAUSES FOR NONRENEWAL OR
10 27 TERMINATION.
10 28 1. The duration of a charter school contract with a
10 29 sponsor shall be for the term contained in the contract under
10 30 section 256F.8. At the end of the term the sponsor may renew
10 31 a contract or may deny renewal of a contract for any ground
10 32 listed in subsection 2. A sponsor may unilaterally terminate
10 33 a contract during the term of the contract for any ground
10 34 listed in subsection 2. At least sixty days before denying
10 35 renewal or terminating a contract, the sponsor shall notify
11 1 the board of directors of the charter school of the proposed
11 2 action in writing. The notice shall state the grounds for the
11 3 proposed action in reasonable detail and that the charter
11 4 school's board of directors may request in writing within
11 5 fourteen days of receiving notice of nonrenewal or termination
11 6 of the contract an informal hearing before the sponsor.
11 7 Failure by the board of directors to make a timely written
11 8 request for a hearing shall be treated as acquiescence to the
11 9 proposed action. Upon receiving a timely written request for
11 10 a hearing, the sponsor shall give reasonable notice to the
11 11 charter school's board of directors of the hearing date. The
11 12 sponsor shall conduct an informal hearing before taking final
11 13 action. The sponsor shall take final action to renew or to
11 14 deny renewal of a contract by the last day of classes in the
11 15 school year. The charter school's board of directors may
11 16 appeal the sponsor's decision to the state board.
11 17 2. A contract may be terminated or denied renewal upon any
11 18 of the following grounds:
11 19 a. Failure to meet the requirements for student
11 20 performance contained in the contract.
11 21 b. Failure to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal
11 22 management.
11 23 c. For violations of law or other good cause shown.
11 24 3. If a contract is terminated or denied renewal, the
11 25 charter school shall be dissolved according to the applicable
11 26 provisions of state law under which it was organized.
11 27 Sec. 24. NEW SECTION. 256F.23 STUDENT ENROLLMENT.
11 28 If a charter school contract is not renewed or is
11 29 terminated according to section 256F.22, a student who
11 30 attended the charter school, siblings of the student, or
11 31 another student who resides in the same place as the student
11 32 may enroll in the resident district or may submit an
11 33 application to a nonresident school district according to
11 34 section 282.18 at any time. Applications and notices required
11 35 by section 282.18 shall be processed and provided in a prompt
12 1 manner. The application and notice deadlines in section
12 2 282.18 do not apply under these circumstances.
12 3 Sec. 25. NEW SECTION. 256F.24 GENERAL AUTHORITY.
12 4 The board of directors of a charter school may sue and be
12 5 sued. The board of directors shall not levy taxes or issue
12 6 bonds.
12 7 Sec. 26. NEW SECTION. 256F.25 IMMUNITY.
12 8 The provisions of sections 280.21, 670.7, and 672.1 shall
12 9 apply to a charter school and its employees.
12 10 The board of directors of a charter school shall obtain at
12 11 least the amount of and types of insurance required by the
12 12 contract, according to section 256F.8.
12 13 Sec. 27. NEW SECTION. 256F.26 STATE SCHOOL FOUNDATION
12 14 AND OTHER AID FOR A CHARTER SCHOOL.
12 15 1. A student enrolled in a charter school shall be
12 16 counted, for state school foundation aid purposes, in the
12 17 student's school district of residence. A student's
12 18 residence, for purposes of this section, shall be as
12 19 established under section 282.1. The board of directors of
12 20 the school district of residence shall pay to the charter
12 21 school the district cost per pupil, or the charter school's
12 22 cost per pupil as determined by the department based upon
12 23 information supplied by the charter school, whichever is
12 24 lower, plus any moneys received for the student as a result of
12 25 non-English speaking weighting under section 280.4, subsection
12 26 3, for each school year. The school district of residence
12 27 shall also transmit the phase III moneys allocated to the
12 28 school district for the full-time equivalent attendance of the
12 29 student to the charter school.
12 30 2. If a parent or guardian of a child enrolled in a
12 31 charter school under this chapter moves to a different school
12 32 district during the course of either school district's
12 33 academic year, the child's first district of residence shall
12 34 be responsible for payment of the cost per pupil plus
12 35 weightings or special education costs to the charter school
13 1 for the balance of the school year in which the move took
13 2 place. The new school district of residence shall be
13 3 responsible for the payments during the succeeding years.
13 4 3. A charter school shall be considered a school district
13 5 for purposes of receiving state aid under chapters 256D, 256E,
13 6 294A, and 295.
13 7 Sec. 28. NEW SECTION. 256F.27 OTHER AID – GRANTS –
13 8 REVENUE.
13 9 A charter school is eligible to receive federal and state
13 10 aid, grants, and revenue, and gifts and grants from private
13 11 sources as though it were a school district. Federal aid
13 12 received by the state must be paid to the charter school, if
13 13 it qualifies for the aid as though it were a school district.
13 14 Sec. 29. NEW SECTION. 256F.28 USE OF STATE MONEY.
13 15 Money received from the state by a charter school shall not
13 16 be used to purchase land or buildings. The charter school may
13 17 own land and buildings if obtained through nonstate sources.
13 18 EXPLANATION
13 19 This bill sets up provisions by which charter schools may
13 20 be established. The bill also establishes the purposes for
13 21 which the schools shall be established.
13 22 SPONSORSHIP: A governmental body is seeking to sponsor or
13 23 receiving authorization to sponsor a charter school.
13 24 OPERATION OF CHARTER SCHOOL: The school shall be organized
13 25 and operated as a nonprofit association, nonprofit
13 26 corporation, partnership, limited partnership, business
13 27 corporation, or as any other group of individuals however
13 28 organized under state law. Before a sponsor may organize and
13 29 operate a school, the sponsor must file an affidavit with the
13 30 state board stating its intent to organize a charter school
13 31 and receive state board approval.
13 32 CONVERSION OF EXISTING SCHOOLS: The board of directors of
13 33 a school district may convert one of its existing schools to a
13 34 charter school if 60 percent of the teachers at the school
13 35 sign a petition seeking conversion.
14 1 CONTRACT: The sponsor's authorization for a charter school
14 2 shall be in the form of a written contract signed by the
14 3 sponsor and the board of directors of the charter school. The
14 4 bill sets forth the items a contract must contain.
14 5 PUBLIC SCHOOL STATUS: A charter school is a public school
14 6 and is part of the state's system of public education but,
14 7 except as provided in the bill, is exempt from all statutes
14 8 and rules applicable to a school or a school district,
14 9 although it may elect to comply with one or more provisions of
14 10 statutes or rules. A charter school shall meet and abide by
14 11 all applicable state and local health and safety requirements,
14 12 length of school year Code provisions, civil and human rights
14 13 laws, and laws relating to suspension and expulsion of a
14 14 student, and is subject to an annual financial audit. A
14 15 charter school must be nonsectarian in its programs, admission
14 16 policies, employment practices, and all other operations.
14 17 TUITION-FREE: A charter school shall not charge tuition.
14 18 ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS: A charter school may limit
14 19 admission to students within an age group or grade level, and
14 20 to individuals eligible to participate in an alternative
14 21 options education program for dropouts or potential dropouts.
14 22 INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF: A charter school shall employ or
14 23 contract with necessary teachers who hold a valid license
14 24 issued by the board of educational examiners, though the
14 25 administrator of the school need not be licensed by the board.
14 26 The school may employ necessary employees who are not required
14 27 to hold teaching licenses to perform duties other than
14 28 teaching and may contract for other services. The school may
14 29 discipline and discharge teachers and nonlicensed employees in
14 30 accordance with its own procedures.
14 31 STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS: The education of
14 32 students requiring special education shall be the financial
14 33 responsibility of the school district of residence. However,
14 34 a charter school must accept students requiring special
14 35 education.
15 1 REPORTS: A charter school must report at least annually to
15 2 its sponsor and the state board of education and the reports
15 3 are public records.
15 4 TRANSPORTATION: By July 1 of each year, a charter school
15 5 shall notify the district in which the school is located and
15 6 the department if it will provide transportation for students
15 7 enrolled at the school for the fiscal year. The state shall
15 8 pay transportation aid to the charter school as if it were a
15 9 regular public school, and shall reimburse charter school
15 10 parents and school districts for transportation costs in the
15 11 same manner as parents and school districts are reimbursed for
15 12 transportation costs. However, a parent may be reimbursed by
15 13 the charter school for costs of transportation from the
15 14 student's residence to the border of the district in which the
15 15 charter school is located if the student is from a family
15 16 whose income is at or below the poverty level.
15 17 LEASED SPACE: A charter school may lease space from a
15 18 school district or public or private nonprofit, nonsectarian
15 19 organization. If the school is unable to lease appropriate
15 20 space from public or private nonsectarian organizations, the
15 21 school may lease space from a sectarian organization if the
15 22 leased space is constructed as a school facility and the
15 23 department, in consultation with the department of management,
15 24 approves the lease.
15 25 INITIAL COSTS: A sponsor may authorize a charter school
15 26 before it has secured its space, equipment, facilities, and
15 27 personnel to raise working capital if necessary.
15 28 LEAVE TO TEACH IN A CHARTER SCHOOL: If a teacher employed
15 29 by a school district makes a written request for an extended
15 30 leave of absence to teach at a charter school, the school
15 31 district shall grant the leave for not more than five years.
15 32 IOWA PUBLIC EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM: Teachers in a
15 33 charter school shall be public school teachers for the
15 34 purposes of retirement system benefits under Code chapter 97B.
15 35 During a leave, the teacher shall retain the teacher's
16 1 seniority position and continue to receive benefits received
16 2 as an employee of the district, and may continue to aggregate
16 3 benefits and credits in the Iowa public employees' retirement
16 4 system. The Iowa public employees' retirement system may
16 5 impose reasonable requirements to efficiently administer this
16 6 provision.
16 7 CAUSES FOR NONRENEWAL OR TERMINATION: The bill provides
16 8 the conditions under which a contract may not be renewed or
16 9 may be terminated. The sponsor must provide adequate notice
16 10 stating the grounds for the proposed action in reasonable
16 11 detail. The charter school's board of directors may request
16 12 within 14 days of receiving notice of nonrenewal or
16 13 termination of the contract an informal hearing before the
16 14 sponsor. A contract may be terminated or denied renewal for
16 15 failure to meet the requirements for student performance
16 16 contained in the contract, failure to meet generally accepted
16 17 standards of fiscal management, or for violations of law or
16 18 other good cause shown.
16 19 OPEN ENROLLMENT OPTION UNDER DISSOLUTION: If a charter
16 20 school is dissolved, a student who attended the school,
16 21 siblings of the student, or another student who resides in the
16 22 same place as the student may enroll in the resident district
16 23 or may submit an open enrollment application to a nonresident
16 24 district and the open enrollment application and notice
16 25 deadlines do not apply.
16 26 GENERAL AUTHORITY: The board of directors of a charter
16 27 school may sue and be sued but cannot levy taxes or issue
16 28 bonds.
16 29 STATE SCHOOL FOUNDATION AID: A charter school shall be
16 30 considered a school district for purposes of receiving state
16 31 school foundation aid, non-English speaking weighting,
16 32 technology, early intervention, and phase III moneys.
16 33 OTHER AID, GRANTS, AND REVENUE: A charter school is
16 34 eligible to receive other state or federal educational aid,
16 35 grants, and revenue, and gifts and grants from private sources
17 1 as though it were a school district. Federal aid received by
17 2 the state must be paid to a charter school, if it qualifies
17 3 for the aid, as though it were a school district.
17 4 USE OF STATE MONEYS TO PURCHASE LAND OR BUILDINGS: Money
17 5 received from the state shall not be used to purchase land or
17 6 buildings. The school may own land and buildings if obtained
17 7 through nonstate sources.
17 8 LSB 5867XS 78
17 9 kh/as/5.1
Text: SF02210 Text: SF02212 Text: SF02200 - SF02299 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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