IN HB1358

Allows parents of at least 51% of students at a low-performing school (one in the bottom two state categories for two or more consecutive years) to petition for conversion of the school to a charter school or to request state board intervention with a lead partner

Permits parents of at least 51% of students at a low-performing charter school to petition to transfer operation of that charter school to the local school corporation

Requires the state board to verify petition signatures and approve or deny petitions, with an additional 30 days allowed to collect signatures if initial verification falls below the 51% threshold

Mandates that school corporations offer to purchase charter school buildings when operations are transferred, including authorized debts and building improvement costs or appraised value

Repeals existing provisions on charter school conversions and directs the state board to adopt rules covering petition formats, signature verification, operator qualifications, and reporting requirements, effective July 1, 2013