SB 1036 - Charter Schools Summary

• Requires charter school governing boards to be independent of management companies and allow termination of management contracts at the board's sole discretion.

• Mandates at least one charter school governing board member be a parent of an enrolled student and prohibits specified conflicts of interest for board members, including financial interests in entities contracting with the school.

• Establishes procedures for student withdrawals: voluntary withdrawals require signed documentation that the school did not discourage continued enrollment, and trigger transfer of pro rata funding to the receiving school within 15 days.

• Prohibits dismissal or requested withdrawal of charter students based on poor academic performance, low assessment scores, or behavior issues unless the behavior constitutes an expellable offense as defined by district school board rule.

• Requires charter schools to post an annual performance bond equal to one-half of projected operating funds, payable to the district school board, which is invoked if the school defaults on financial obligations.

• Creates new oversight procedures allowing the Department of Education's Office of Inspector General and district school boards to audit, investigate, and access financial and educational records of charter schools and related entities.