AR SB367

Municipalities gain the right of first refusal to acquire unused or underutilized public school facilities at no cost, with the county having this right if the school district is not located in a municipality.

Open-enrollment public charter schools receive the right of first refusal to purchase or lease facilities at fair market value (determined by independent third-party appraisal) after municipalities or counties waive their rights.

A public charter school may not give notice of intent to purchase or lease until the later of: the date a facility is identified as unused/underutilized, or 2 years from identification if the facility is designated in the school district's master plan for reuse, renovation, or demolition.

School districts may not sell or lease unused/underutilized facilities to third parties until 2 years after identification (if no charter school has claimed rights) or 3 years after identification (if designated in the master plan for specific projects).

The bill declares an emergency, stating that public school facility closures are imminent and taxpayers should have first opportunity to benefit from publicly-owned facilities and tax dollars.