SB302 Summary

• Amends Section 16-6F-10 of the Alabama Code to revise operational and categorical funding provisions for public charter schools, including both start-up and conversion charter schools.

• Charter schools receive funding from the Education Trust Fund in the Foundation Program appropriation for current units, with adjustments made during the fiscal year to reconcile differences between anticipated and actual enrollment.

• For each student, charter schools receive the same amount of state funds that would have been allocated to the student's local school system, including funds for transportation, school nurses, and technology coordinators, adjusted by student grade level, economic disadvantage, English proficiency, and special education needs.

• Start-up charter schools located in counties with populations under 40,000 receive state-provided 10 mill match funding and do not receive countywide revenue, while conversion charter schools receive local funding allocations based on what the local school system would have received before conversion.

• State funds are forwarded monthly to charter schools, and the bill requires the Department of Education to annually determine and adopt processes for calculating and distributing per-student allocations directly to charter schools.