HB459 Summary

• Amends Section 16-6F-10 of the Alabama Code to modify operational and categorical funding provisions for public charter schools under the Alabama School Choice and Student Opportunity Act.

• Changes state funding disbursement from quarterly to monthly basis for charter schools and requires the department to annually adopt budgeted local revenue allocation processes before application deadlines.

• Specifies that start-up charter schools in counties with populations under 40,000 receive four-tenths of a pro rata share of countywide taxes, while conversion charter schools receive all local funding previously allocated to their non-charter predecessor schools.

• Establishes that charter schools receive proportionate shares of federal and state categorical aid programs and that the state pays directly to charter schools any federal or state special education aid attributable to students with disabilities.

• Requires public charter schools to conduct annual independent audits by certified public accountants, file audit reports to their authorizer by June 1, and adhere to generally accepted accounting principles.